Foods that you can't have

[MaggieTheCat]

Do oats have bad glutenny things in them; is that why D may have trouble? I thought of oats because I like them and I read...somewhere...a long time ago...that they were okay for this kind of thing...

Oatmeal is naturally gluten-free but some oatmeal is processed in the same facility/on the same equipment as wheat flour or other items that contain gluten, which can contaminate the oatmeal. If someone is particularly sensitive to gluten, then even eating food that's processed on the same equipment, even if the food itself that they're eating is gluten-free (like oatmeal), can still give them problems. There is oatmeal that is made in gluten-free environments that would be best for making oat flour out of, if it's for someone with a gluten intolerance. I think that pretty much everything now days that is made in a gluten-free environment is labeled as such (everything from chicken to mineral water) so keep an eye for such labels when buying food for your friends. Gluten can be in LOTS of inconspicuous places, including potato chips, seasoning packets, soy sauce, hot dogs/lunch meat, and salad dressing (just to name a few of the more obscure ones.) Check labels on everything and when in doubt, keep the labels for things you're serving so your friends can double-check themselves.

As far as your own personal equipment goes -- if you've ever used your food processor to make bread dough, pizza dough, bread crumbs, to grind graham crackers or oreos or crackers of any kind, then it's come into contact with gluten. I'm not saying you can never use it to make gluten-free food but I don't know the best way to wash/sterilize it first; there might be tutorials for such things online. (It could be as easy as just washing it out really well with soap and water. I don't know if that's enough for it to be considered "sterile.") Just keep in mind that if you ever do use it with gluten products again that you'd have to clean it again before making oat flour or any other gluten free food.

[Rapscallion]

In the UK, oats are usually grown in the same area as wheat and thus generally assumed to be cross-contaminated by gluten. What you need to look for on labels in the UK is the term 'Pure Oats', which are grown far enough away from the wheat to avoid this.

The packaging line thing is also correct, but the term 'gluten free' is protected in the UK and requires that the claimant has batch-tested every production run to be below 20ppm as per the codex alimantarus (spelling?). Most people with coeliac disease can tolerate a very small amount of gluten without noticeable effect.

Rapscallion

[cindybubbles]

Now I have to add milk that isn't lactose-free or lactose-reduced here.

I saw my doctor for a physical yesterday. She said that I need to drink more milk. Ok, so Mom bought me some 1% milk, and soon after I finished it, my tummy started rumbling and I got some cramps.

I remembered always having tummy trouble after eating ice cream (though ice cream is ALWAYS worth the trouble!), and that's when it hit me: I'm lactose intolerant!

So Mom bought me some 1% lactose-free milk, and I just love the fact that it's sweeter than normal milk!

[dawnfire]

Now I have to add milk that isn't lactose-free or lactose-reduced here.

I saw my doctor for a physical yesterday. She said that I need to drink more milk. Ok, so Mom bought me some 1% milk, and soon after I finished it, my tummy started rumbling and I got some cramps.

I remembered always having tummy trouble after eating ice cream (though ice cream is ALWAYS worth the trouble!), and that's when it hit me: I'm lactose intolerant!

So Mom bought me some 1% lactose-free milk, and I just love the fact that it's sweeter than normal milk!

that what i like about lactose free milk too. I barely buy though and the little milk I do drink (usually only a splash in my morning coffee) doesn't seem to affect it. (i need to drink more than a cup of milk to feel the affects of my lactose intolerence)

[AccountingDrone]

I am mildly lactose intolerant, and it just makes me really gassy. One time in response to a mention on the Straight Dope about the impossibility to down a gallon of whole milk in one hour. *burp* Not a problem though the cat was a bit upset with me when she got seriously dutch ovened ... never got challenged about it though I am perfectly willing to set up the webcam on my computer and skype camera chat with someone for an hour while I sit and drink.

[TawnyMyst]

Lactaid, Lacteeze and like products have become my best friends! It means I can still enjoy my dairy, two to three pills 5 mins before I eat and I'm good for an hour to enjoy my milk and cheeses. Surprisingly, yogurt and cooked dairy don't bother me.

[cindybubbles]

My mom buys Neilson TruTaste (1% or skim) Lactose-free milk for me. She would prefer to buy pre-treated milk instead of pills or drops because I'm chock full of meds already due to my bladder problems.

[Food Lady]

I don't have any food allergies that I'm aware of. I have slight lactose intolerance, but only if I consume more than a cup or so of dairy food. I have blood sugar issues, though, so I need to avoid sugar and white flour.

[scruff]

I'm sensitive to a variety of foods, but apart from bloating, it's only a problem for other people nearby.
The main one was tartrazine which was in the local budget orange squash drink (ASDA) when I was a kid, a few glasses of that and you'd need to scrape me off the ceiling. There's other foods that make me hyper, but not to the point I notice (beyond ' hey, I've been up for 24hrs?/Can't stay awake for more than 6hrs?'/the neighbours start hiding the cutlery. :-)

[Seshat]

One of the yellow food dyes gives me hives. It's either anatto or turmeric; but given that I can eat Indian food (which is usually full of turmeric) without the hives, it's probably anatto.

I need to eat a glyceamic-load aware diet: I can feel it when my blood sugar is either too high or too low. Protein-rich meals, meals with pulses, meals with the low-GI grains are good for me. Starchy meals and sugary meals aren't.

I have GERD; basically I tend to burp up what's in my stomach, especially if it's acidic. So I avoid acid foods; especially acidic fruits, or wine or vinegar based foods. A wine gravy feels/tastes awful to me, pickles make me feel sick, sushi (with its vinegar-rice base) is inedible. Tomato-based foods are nasty too.

Seafood is a no-no. It doesn't give me hives or other allergic reactions, but I get nauseous, and .. well, let's just say my digestive system doesn't react well to it.

And all of that is BEFORE we start to take my personal preferences and tastes into account.....

[Mytical]

My doctors have pretty much told me to avoid/limit the following : Fats (all kinds). spices (all kinds like salt and pepper), carbs, any seasoning not covered by spices, red meat, and of course sugar (all kinds, even sugar substitute). Pretty much I am 'supposed' to eat cardboard. Though for all I know cardboard is high in carbs.

[cindybubbles]

Just came back home from the movies. Ordered a Great Canadian Burger with some sauce that was spicy, but I didn't notice until the end of the burger. Also, my mom said "no desserts" (sigh!) because I have to watch my weight, but I could order Fruitopia next time (yay!).

[solar]

I can not have:

fried food, coffee, bananas, chocolate....

...it is probably easier to list what I can have

[Sliceanddice]

Raw bananas
pineapple
Welches Fruit snacks (cause they are like 50% pineapple juice according to my body and the day trying not to vomit but chained to my toilet)
guacamole (it just isn't tasty to me so i go blah)

[AnaKhouri]

I've always had acid reflux. It varies in intensity but usually isn't bad.

But now I am pregnant. If you don't have acid reflux before you become pregnant, you'll probably get it while you're pregnant. If you do have it before, then...

So for the next 5 months I can't eat/drink:

Chorizo
Tacos
Lemonade

I'll probably find out more things as time goes on.