What is your favorite, easy gluten free prepared food??

there are too many to list B-girl ----------------- and i think they are full of stuff equally as bad as gluten (which i;m sure you know) ,,,,,, so , i will not recommend any of that crap cuz i like you !

my belief is that if you have an issue with gluten, you have issues with most grains -

but i hear you about the want - me too - i just for me, at least this time in my journey, can't give in to those desires - sad but true - maybe someday

i gave up on trying to gain weight a long time ago - just trying to focus on being the best and healthiest skeleton i can be !

I used to be prescribed ensure/fortisip when I was underweight. Now I have substituted it for peanut butter, which is calorie concentrated. I have no idea if it a good or bad food, but it works well for maintenance for me. You could also make a batch of oat bars, or try whey protein.

I honestly don't think I have any issues with gluten but have been scared to eat it due to years of avoiding it!! After reading all about the dangers of it, I'd prefer to keep it out of my diet. I've been grain free and legume free since 2012 so it's been a while. I also haven't had starches in a long as time either.

So really, I'm just adding a bunch of foods to my diet in hopes that carbs are what I need.

Soy, if I was healthy at 97 lbs, I'd stay there, but my doctor is very worried about me. I have a back injury and the reason why is because I don't have enough muscle around my spine to protect my bones. Same goes for the rest of my skeleton. He'd like me to add 20 lbs to my frame so my bones don't break.

I'm headed to the store today so I will get potatoes and larabars. I've been wanting to get plantains but they don't sell them at my grocery store. Will take a look at the frozen section, too. I honestly haven't bought prepackaged stuff in many years so any other ideas are helpful. I usually stick to the outer aisles (meat/produce/dairy/eggs).

Thanks, TM. I already drink protein shakes but was instructed to stop from my doctor. My protein levels are very high and my doctor would rather me eat some carbohydrates instead. I have heard good things about orgain and have a few packets in my pantry. If I ever flare again, I have 6 tubs of protein powder haha I am kind of a protein shake addict.

I believe starches are the way to go, especially potatoes and sweet potatoes. Have you ever visited McDougall's "Starch Solution"? He emphasizes carbs over fat and protein and has saved many from all kinds of dis-eases. Too much protein is very hard on the kidneys so avoid it for now.

BTW I just gained 9 pounds when my M.D. tweaked my thyroid med, so you might want to make sure your #s are right (most labs still don't diagnose TSH as high until it's over 5--these days we know an ideal TSH to be .3-3.0) I felt best at around 2. Then it tanked to .02 and I went hyper and kept losing weight and then flared. They corrected my T4 dose and I gained 9 pounds in 6 weeks!

Edamame is a good high protein snack I sometimes eat late night as well. Also is Gf.

Hmmmm....

1) 170 Calorie snack:

I eat the cr@p outa these things: 170 cal per two cookies. Not to terrible for you either.
/www.gogoquinoa.com/product/kaniwa-cookies-coconut-vanilla-2/
Warning: Non-gluten free friends say they taste like sand... seriously, three people have now. Weird. But I love them for some reason. Have them with my coffee and late in the afternoon.

2) 220 Calorie snack:

Quinoa Cereal /www.gogoquinoa.com/product/quinoa-choco-puffs-cocoa/ 220 calories per 1 cup. Chuck some coconut milk in whamo... watch the calories zoom... I use almond milk however. The chocolate is questionable, but the quinoa is chalk full of good for you stuff. I stir it up with almond milk, which causes the almond milk to turn to chocolate almond milk, and the quinoa is left plain. I just eat around the new chocolate almond milk to lower the sugar.

3) ~300 Calorie snack :

SCD Friendly Apple Spice & Raisin Granola www.jkgourmet.com/products/seven-granola ~300 cal per 1/3 cup.

Throw some yogurt on top and watch the calories climb to 500+ for your snack.

4) 1,000 calorie snack

Four pieces of [url]http://www.glutino.com/products/breads/glutino-white-bread/[url] white sandwich bread, four tablespoons or organic peanut butter and two medium bananas.... assembly is self explanatory. Makes two sandwiches or one giant double decker. This is basically every bodybuilders 'bulking' staple...

Any of these will keep your calorie count pretty darn high - the aded bonus is they are good and good for you! I am sure you can find substitutes for what is not available around you.

Add some more fruits, and veggies if you can tolerate them and you have a decent bulking meal plan for between your main meals.

------
FYI - I didn't think I could gain weight due to IBD. Then a few weeks ago I tried maintaining a 2,800 calorie per day diet for 2 weeks. I'll be darned if I didn't gain 6 pounds with ease. Shocked me. I lifted some weights to but only twice per week and it was just a full body routine. Keep in mind it's pretty hard to eat 2,800 a day of clean'ish food and be gluten free and IBD friendly. But it can be done! I went from 115lbs to 120-121 and have not lost any of the weight gain yet.

The secret all along for me was I was simply not getting enough calories every single day. I needed to get myself into a caloric surplus. I used myfitness pal to track my daily calories.

Post Edited (Canada Mark) : 10/1/2016 8:54:38 PM (GMT-6)

uhhhhh, whaaaaa, you weigh 120............. POUNDS ? i'm pretty sure you are mistaken ----- ????? you mean
kg's ????

@soy - I used to weight ~145 pounds or so 15 years ago until I got sick. At my worst back then, due to the Crohns-Colitis I dropped to 97lbs and I am just shy of 6 feet tall. I have never been able to break the 120 pound barrier since.

Well, until now that is, but I would say this is due to my remission. With active IBD it would be pretty darn difficult I would think.

Crazy.

One big reason why I would routinely lose at least 5 lbs a week while flaring is that my flare symptoms usually include abdominal pain. And that pain would be almost unbearable after eating.

You guys are so helpful. Thanks for all of your suggestions!! I will keep looking for stuff on my next shopping trip (I only go once a week).

I got some sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie larabars, and plantain chips so far.

My main problem is absorption. I eat around 3,000 calories a day and I have tracked this many times. My pancreatic enzymes are low and that also has something to do with why I'm not breaking down my food properly.

I actually won a 6 month supply of peanut butter a few weeks ago so I have been eating more than usual haha I made a cheesecake and eat that with a few spoonfuls of peanut butter on top. It's so good.

Trader Joe gluten free cornbread and brownies. Both are delicious!!!