Elana's Pantry Forums » celiac

1. 

   selkie
   Member

   Hi,
   Has anyone noticed GI reactions- digestive issues- with the almond flour? I have the Honeyville flour and it IS certified gluten free now (I'm Celiac) so I'm not worried about that issue.

   I wanted to try the cookbook after reading Elana's comments about her reaction slightly to most grains- that they make her feel sluggish and low energy, affect digestion. That sounded like me, so I thought.. hm, this could work.

   What I've noticed is each time I've made a recipe with the almond flour (apple muffins, muesli bread, raisin bread, scones)- I have problems for several days. I gave away most of the muesli bread after having two pieces, wanted to avoid potential problems. Without getting too graphic- I feel as if I've eaten cement, or paste- everything slows down digestive-wise for several days. The baked goods taste fine (I also have made pear crisp, which is minimal amt of the flour- and it didnt'bother me).

   My other concern is .. if a person is gluten intolerant and/ or has multiple food intolerances..then switches to baking only with almond flour- how likely is it they will develop an intolerance to almonds. I would think it might be quite possible. I went off dairy at one point, switched to soy, then developed a soy intolerance. My naturopath told me to rotate stuff- that the way a person develops food intolerances is to eat the same thing over and over. I already drink almond milk and love it. And fyi I already asked Elana this same question directly, as a comment below one of her postings- and I did not receive an answer.

   Would appreciate any feedback. I'd still like to try baking with the flour, but may have to do it only occasionally and see if the problem still happens.

   selkie

   Posted 9 months ago #
2. 

   colormepink
   Member

   Hi Selkie,

   I'm sorry to hear about your frustration. Soy is highly allergenic and difficult for some to digest, you might have had better luck switching to rice or almond milk, and then again you might have experienced the exact same thing with those. It is best to rotate foods, especially if your digestive system is delicate. I have trouble eating too much of any food made with nut flour as well. I tolerate them better than any other gluten-free alternatives but they are still calorie and fat rich and I will get that brick feeling as well. So my limit is only a piece or two of nut flour baked goods. It sounds like your body has some healing to do and can only handle small portions of these treats as well.

   Posted 9 months ago #
3. 

   jules
   Member

   Nuts can be difficult to digest for some people. Do you notice reactions to nuts when you eat them alone? I have been told that when you are trying to heal your digestive system it can be helpful to avoid nuts. I have reactions to a lot of Elana's baked goods as well (bloating, brick in the stomach feeling), but I also have reactions to nuts on their own. I still eat them because I love them and they are such a good source of protein and healthy fats, although I should probably take a break from them until my digestive system has time to heal.

   Posted 9 months ago #
4. 

   selkie
   Member

   Hi Jules and Colormepink, thanks for your replies :-). I do fine with nuts when I eat them on their own, but perhaps eating the baked goods made with them is like eating wayyyy more nuts than a person might eat in the whole form?? (ie concentrated- that flour is pretty fine stuff).
   Colormepink, you're right, I was told by one naturopath to go all soy (lol then later told by another that it had been a bad idea, is better to rotate).Can you tolerate rice milk? I've tried it- caused bloating, probably the high carb content and the high amt of sugar they add to it. Don't seem to do well with hi carb. I don't like commercial almond milk- either high in sugar or the unsweetened is high in sodium. So, make my own almond milk which I love. Should rotate it.. sometimes do with cashew milk.
   Thanks to you both re sharing issues with the 'brick' feeling :-)!! It's definitely different than what i get with gluten free flours- they can slow things down but not the same as the heavy reaction from almond flour. Want to try the cracker recipes, might be good alternatives.. (ie they're thinner and less flour per serving) and just limit how much I bake with it.

   Posted 9 months ago #
5. 

   colormepink
   Member

   Selkie, it could be too that if you eat nuts whole you are eating them as a snack or alone and your digestive system has nothing else to distract it from processing the nuts so to speak. Whereas when you are eating them as bread or muffins or whatever, you are eating them as part of a bigger meal and all of it together with the nuts is too much for your system. I didn't even think to ask how you did with nuts alone.

   I definitely don't do well with high carb either so rice milk is too much for me. And I'm allergic to almonds so my go-to nut is walnut and that means I have to make pretty much everything from scratch. I will rotate some with pecans, macadamias and cashews too depending on the recipe but walnuts are my favorite. I don't do a whole lot of nut milk, I'd rather do water or herbal teas but every once in a while I like hot chocolate made with walnut or cashew milk.

   Posted 9 months ago #
6. 

   laurie
   Member

   I have problems with nut flours as well but especially almond. I made the gluten free dark "rye" bread using pumpkin seed flour. I buy raw pumpkin seeds (the green colored ones) and process them in the spice/coffee grinder. Makes great flour. I have also made it with raw sunflower seed flour. I leave out the caraway seeds for an everyday bread. This batter also makes great pancakes. I add frozen berries to it for the pancakes.

   I am type 2 diabetic, gluten, soy and dairy free. I use unsweetened hemp milk in my baking. It only has 1 carb per 1 cup serving. You have to sweeten it to drink it straight.

   Posted 9 months ago #
7. 

   adelshad
   Member

   I'm so glad I saw this. I recently switched to using all almond flour - and I have been trying to figure out why I'm so "stopped up" - will lay off the gluten free treat for a while and see if it helps!

   Also - coconut milk is a good alternative to soy/rice/almond milk. Not the kind in the can, but in the refrigerator section by the other non-dairy milks

   Posted 8 months ago #
8. 

   Miss Robin
   Member

   I'm also glad I saw this post. I tried the breakfast bar recipe and it was delicious....though now I understand the "brick in my stomach." Hadn't equated it to the almond flour yet...I was thinking all the nuts was the cause...could be both!

   adelshad- thanks for the tip about coconut milk in the refrigerator section. I'll have to look for that.

   Posted 8 months ago #
9. 

   Skycatcher
   Member

   I find AF products to be extremely filling. Where I could wolf down a whole package of "Pamela" brand cookies, one or two AF cookies satisfy me. I do notice the heaviness in my digestive system, but I assume it's because I've eaten too much. I make the drop biscuits - love 'em - but am satisfied with one instead of several.

   Posted 8 months ago #

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