problem with cheap foods

[SeekingSimplicity]

Dh's stomach doesn't tolerate the foods that we're able to afford right now. Beans, eggs, cabbage.... it all gives him gas. The worst part is he is working in a lab, in a sterile enviroment and has to wear a plastic suit. he says there is no escape from himself. So he has asked me not to feed him those foods anymore.

 

What's cheap, and gfcfsf, that I can cook this week and give his tummy a break? I've got about $50 to buy groceries with this week. I have grits, zucchini, powdered milk (for his coffee), gf flour blends, a can of broth.... um.... not a whole lot else.

Edited October 27, 2011 by SeekingSimplicity

[gingersmom]

Rice

Cous cous

[lllll]

potatoes

[Snickerdoodle]

I would buy hamburger meat and make him meat and vegetable stir fry with a small side of rice for all his meals.

[Snickerdoodle]

Why don't you

your cabbage? It might make it easier to digest for your husband and give him a good probiotic boost.

[Marsha]

He is probably missing some Digestive Enzymes or Hydrochloric Acid needed for digesting the food properly.

[regentrude]

Rice

Cous cous

 

Couscous actually consists of wheat, so definitely not GF.

 

Rice and potatoes are great and easy for the digestion.

Potatoes can be prepared in many different ways (baked, boiled, fried, mashed...)

[jennsmile]

Stick a raw apple in with your beans when you cook them. Remove before eating it is to cut the gas out.

[SeekingSimplicity]

Stick a raw apple in with your beans when you cook them. Remove before eating it is to cut the gas out.

 

Really? I'm gonna try that. TY

[SeekingSimplicity]

TY for the ideas. I'll plan to do some sort of stir fry most of the week then.

[SeekingSimplicity]

Why don't you

your cabbage? It might make it easier to digest for your husband and give him a good probiotic boost.

 

I've tried making fermented carrots and fermented slaw, but it makes him even gassier. He won't touch it.

[Farrar]

Is it a recent switch? Sometimes it just takes your body a month or two and then your digestion adjusts and the gas ends.

[SeekingSimplicity]

Is it a recent switch? Sometimes it just takes your body a month or two and then your digestion adjusts and the gas ends.

 

Nope. He grew up eating beans several times a week, and eggs for breakfast every morning. These are foods that have always made him that way. He's T1 diabetic, and and has a nephew that is T1 diabetic also. I keep wondering if it diabetes related. Or at least something genetic in his family. It's a theory anyways.

[Harriet Vane]

Sweet potatoes.

 

Canned tuna?? Sardines?

 

Another option for reducing the bean effect is to discard the cooking water.

 

If you soak overnight, discard the water. Cook once (boil, turn off, let sit for an hour), then discard the water again. Then do your "real" cooking with whatever flavorings you like and fresh water. This will siphon off some of those gas-causing enzymes.

 

It is possible that there is a diabetic connection because of how poorly diabetics metabolize carbs.

[ElizabethB]

Rice

Sweet potatoes

Potatoes

 

You can do a semi-stir fry with sweet potatoes and potatoes, or just serve them as sides to a bit of meat.

[LittleIzumi]

I second the digestive enzymes. Dh and his dad both took papaya enzyme to help with digestion, and now dh is up to a special protein digestive enzyme (mostly lipase I think), for any decent amount of protein. Meat or beans, it doesn't matter, he needs his enzymes or he has Gas of Death and nasty stomach issues.

[dsmama]

Here are a few ideas. Best wishes to you.

 

I like Hillbilly Housewife: http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/

 

Try the Rubber Chicken recipe. You can adjust days two and three to remove beans and gluten. Maybe some mashed cauliflower or potatoes will add bulk on day 2.

http://www.flylady.net/pages/rubberchicken.asp

 

I made this Tuesday and it was so easy and inexpensive with tons of leftovers. You could easily omit the cheese and it would still be good:

1.5+ lbs lean ground beef

28 oz bag frozen hash brown potatoes,

thawed

26 oz jar G-free pasta sauce

2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

 

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 9â€x13†baking dish

with cooking spray. In large skillet cook beef over

med-high heat until browned & no longer pink,

about 5 min. Drain. Layer half of the potatoes in

bottom of baking dish. Top with half pasta sauce.

Spread the cooked beef on top of sauce. Sprinkle

with 1 c cheese. Spread remaining pasta sauce;

top with 1 c cheese. Sprinkle top with remaining

potatoes. Bake 45 min.

[Audrey]

If cabbage is bothering him, also avoid all brassicas (cauliflower, broccoli, brusselsprouts, etc.)

 

I will second (or third or fourth) the recommendation to add digestive enzymes to his diet. Papaya is a good natural source. Supplements are also available.

[WeeBeaks]

Quinoa dishes? We haven't noticed any problems with that - it subs so nicely for the couscous.

 

There is also an herb - I'm blanking on the name - Epazote? - that we grew for a while here. It is often put in bean dishes in mexico to help with the gas problem, and did seem to help here.

 

Epazote link if you decide to try it. If you grow it, put it in a pot. It grows like a weed here and takes over the garden in no time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epazote