gluten free eating

[Tiggeroo]

I'm considering trying this to see if it helps with my stomach troubles. Has anybody done this successfully. Any tips or good web sites?

 

[HM]

My parents do it. They read all the labels on everything they buy. They were surprised at how many things had gluten that they'd never had suspected. They do a lot of home cooking (mom always did anyway) with a lot of fresh ingredients. When they eat out they ask about dishes they can have.

Good luck. It's helped them with arthritis and some weight loss.

 

[Chikabowa]

I eat gluten free. I did it for a multitude of reasons - I'm also free of a bunch of other stuff too by choice. I don't have a diagnosed sensitivity nor do I have any allergies. I've just found that I'm happier, healthier, and feel better without these things in my diet.

For me, I just dropped everything cold turkey. Just plain stopped. I don't substitute any gluten-free items. That's kinda my personality though... so it's debatable whether or not it works for everyone, but once I decide to do something I just do it full throttle.

Gluten takes up to 6 months to leave your system, so it's something you have to commit to doing 100% of the time for a long duration to see full benefit. I've been gluten free long enough that if I have anything I see a massive swelling of my abdomen (I go from having a flat stomach to literally looking 4-6 months pregnant with 24 hours). It typically takes 36-48 hours to reduce that swelling again. I also break out horribly immediately following any sugar and/or gluten intake.

 

[disfan07]

I went gluten free about 9 months ago when we discovered I have a wheat allergy.

I am also allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, shellfish, oats, coconut, sesame, sunflower seeds, soy, dairy, broccoli, ginger, honey, raw fruits and raw vegetables.

Honestly in my opinion...going gluten free is easy if that's the only thing you are avoiding. What makes it more difficult for me is that I am egg free (a lot of GF products have egg), nut free (a lot of GF products and recipes use almond flour) and can't eat raw fruits and vegetables.

I have serious GI problems as well. I have eosinophilic gastroenteritis/colitis, a GI motility issue and maybe another inflammatory condition. Honestly, going GF for me did not help my GI system at all but I know it helps for a lot of people. It is a commitment though. Going cold turkey is not for everyone, but for someone like me, there was no choice but to go cold turkey. It was either that or risk anaphylaxis so I had no choice.

These are some of the GF products I like:
Applegate farms chicken nuggets
Applegate farms cold cuts
Tinkyada pasta
Enjoy life products (cookies, granola, chocolate)
Ian's frozen chicken nuggets, fish sticks, sweet potatoe fries

We also just eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies (baked for me) and organic meats and poultry.

For baking, I bake a lot from scratch.
But for mixes, I use....
123 gluten free
Cherrybrook kitchen
The pure pantry
Namaste

I know a lot of people rave about Bobs red mill for baking and like Udis products as well. I don't eat bobs red mill because of a tree nut CC issue and Udis all have eggs so I don't know how they are personally but everyone else I know who has tried them loves the products.

Good luck. Hope it helps you. If it helps, IME it's pretty easy to do.

 

[mommyrosa2]

I was diagnosed with IBS years ago and back then was told to stay away from fried foods, increase my fiber and switch to wheat everything and I did.. For years I continued to suffer & seemed to get worse. Last year, I went to a new doctor & after some new tests, I was also told I may have a gluten intolerance as well (gluten can really exasperate IBS symptoms). To know for sure, I was sent to a nutritionist. For 2 weeks I followed the "elimination" diet...we eliminated a whole bunch of stuff along with gluten and we then slowly reintroduced things back in to my diet one at a time to see which foods were trigger foods for me. It was a real tough 2 weeks but in the end, I did find out that I do have an intolerance to Gluten (amongst a few other things) and after eliminating them from my diet, my tummy troubles improved. I also dropped 15 lbs which was a great thing.

 

[Tiggeroo]

I was diagnosed with IBS years ago and back then was told to stay away from fried foods, increase my fiber and switch to wheat everything and I did.. For years I continued to suffer & seemed to get worse. Last year, I went to a new doctor & after some new tests, I was also told I may have a gluten intolerance as well (gluten can really exasperate IBS symptoms). To know for sure, I was sent to a nutritionist. For 2 weeks I followed the "elimination" diet...we eliminated a whole bunch of stuff along with gluten and we then slowly reintroduced things back in to my diet one at a time to see which foods were trigger foods for me. It was a real tough 2 weeks but in the end, I did find out that I do have an intolerance to Gluten (amongst a few other things) and after eliminating them from my diet, my tummy troubles improved. I also dropped 15 lbs which was a great thing.

I was diagnosed with IBS a few years ago also. I was mostly doing ok with it and eliminated a few things that seemed to make it worst. Then I hit a high stress period, a knee injury that had me taking a high dose ibuprophen, a UTI that didn't respond to the first two antibiotics and so a long period on strong antibiotics. Throw in that we are moving and the contractor working on our new place made a mess of things. Stress plus delayed move with everything packed means tons of eating out. I am back where I was five years ago in pretty bad pain, tons of tests and an insane desire to play internet dr. where I've been convinced that I have something severe and terminal. Because of a heavy family history of cancer dr. is ordering both upper endoscopy and colonoscopy, doing fructose and lactose tests, celiac testing and who knows what else.

 

[Tiggeroo]

I also have fibromialgia currently flaring up, which apparently can be a symptom of gluten sensitivity.

 

[believe]

I was diagnosed with a long list of sensitivities 11 weeks ago. If corn, white potato, certain nuts and yeast were not on the list it would have been less frustrating at the beginnin, most gluten free items are corn or potato based. I cook a lot at home and really prefer to not go to restaurants. We were just at Disney and I really missed my cooked veggies. I limit junk items that I can have since I don't want them to drive other cravings I can't have. I am very happy with this way of eating. My headaches are gone and stomach gas has drastically dropped. Originally this plan was for 6 months and I would test what I could add back in, gluten would not be added back since the sensiticy was so high. After Disney, I was on a less restricted list due to the full list makes eating out pretty difficult, and had some 'reactions' I have told my nutritionist I rather not add anything back in.

For tips, start with knowing all the terms for gluten. You may want to consider a sensitivity test as there may be other foods you should eliminate. The test I had was IGg Elisa. It cost 85, insurance paid for the actual blood draw. I just read Gluten free for dummies and that was very helpful. Celiac.com has good information.

 

[mommyrosa2]

I was diagnosed with IBS a few years ago also. I was mostly doing ok with it and eliminated a few things that seemed to make it worst. Then I hit a high stress period, a knee injury that had me taking a high dose ibuprophen, a UTI that didn't respond to the first two antibiotics and so a long period on strong antibiotics. Throw in that we are moving and the contractor working on our new place made a mess of things. Stress plus delayed move with everything packed means tons of eating out. I am back where I was five years ago in pretty bad pain, tons of tests and an insane desire to play internet dr. where I've been convinced that I have something severe and terminal. Because of a heavy family history of cancer dr. is ordering both upper endoscopy and colonoscopy, doing fructose and lactose tests, celiac testing and who knows what else.

Stress is a huge trigger with IBS so even if you are diligent about eating all the right foods, if you don't figure a way to de-stress, you will go into a flare up. I know that's been my biggest obstacle now. My new doc ordered both the endoscopy & colonoscopy (that was a first for me) partly b/c I too have a family history but mostly b/c of my stomach issues. While he didn't see any signs of celiac, he was convinced that I was intolerant that's why he sent me to the nutritionist. I ended up seeing her for about 3 months...she helped me tremendously, thanks to her and the crazy elimination diet, I found that while I don't have food allergies per say, there are quite a few foods which are triggers for my system to flare up. Examples for me: milk - while I'm not lactose intolerant, I need to drink skim and not have a lot of dairy at one time nor in one day. High Fructose Corn Syrup - I would have NEVER guessed that would be a trigger but sure enough it is & that is something that is in a LOT of foods. I basically now follow a clean eating diet...no artificial anything, more natural ingredients...no processed/prepared foods anymore for me (and I used to like my lean cuisines)....all stuff that will put me in a flare up, artificial sweeteners (no more diet cokes for me ). It was hard at first but once I figured everything out, it became second nature. Hang in there and feel free to PM me if you want to bounce any ideas around...I completely understand what you're going thru.

 

[Tiggeroo]

What doctor can handle the testing you are getting that tells you what your sensitivities are to. My gi dr is doing celiac, fructose and lactose. That is all. He also said when he does the upper endoscopy he can see signs of this problem. He doesn't want me on gluten free now, which I want to start tomorrow due to how I feel. He said eat lots of bagels. He wants me to be feeling badly when he tests.

 

[dzneelvr]

my son's fiance fell into the knowledge she had this condition after years of stomach aches, headaches, low energy...you name it. They have to still be really careful to read labels of prepared food and eating in mom and pop restaurants can be a challenge--she will eat a meal ahead if unsure. Our advice is to make an appointment with your primary care provider and let them know your suspect because it may be something else there is so much out there on this subject and you should get your intitial advice and counsel from a qualified physician. I have to say it is very healthy eating and we could all benefit from a gluten free diet.

 

[mommyrosa2]

What doctor can handle the testing you are getting that tells you what your sensitivities are to. My gi dr is doing celiac, fructose and lactose. That is all. He also said when he does the upper endoscopy he can see signs of this problem. He doesn't want me on gluten free now, which I want to start tomorrow due to how I feel. He said eat lots of bagels. He wants me to be feeling badly when he tests.

My GI didn't do anything else either. He too said he would see signs of an issue thru the upper & lower testing. Mine didn't want me to change anything about my diet either before the testing so as hard as it may be, keep eating the way you do so he can get a good look.

 

[rodeo65]

After a hormonal imbalance resulted in a health crisis and emergency surgery in February, I started going to a naturpoath. She told me that the hormone issues I had were brought on by excess estrogen and cortisol. I was put on an elimination diet that excluded gluten, dairy, sugar, soy, red meat and shellfish. For the first three weeks it was fish, chicken, brown rice, sweet potato, fresh veggies and very few fruit (pretty much berries and apples.) After the first stage, I was allowed most of the fruits back except for melon, banana and dried fruit. I also can have red meat once a week and shellfish once a week.

I've lost 24 lbs and now that I'm almost at the end of two months, finally am free from cravings. I don't actually have the desire to add anything back in, except maybe some cheese from time to time, but I'm going to wait a while longer before I do that. It surprises me because I didn't think I'd ever get past sugar cravings.

DH had been pushing for this for a while, but I just wasn't ready to learn what was necessary to make the changes. Surgery can get you ready quickly. I'm really glad it's two months later and it's becoming a more natural way to eat.

I love Udis buns once a week for a burger!! I have yet to be able to try their bread because EVERY single week when I shop they are sold out.

 

[powellrj]

They found out my DDIL had Celiacs when she was 2, so she has lived that way for over 25 years. It was hard to find things that she could eat when her and DS first got married.

DDIL is a celiac, DS has Crohns and my mom is allegic to corn. For the holidays I just fix a large varied amount of food and everyone one finds things they can eat!

 

[GraysMom]

OP, do you have a Whole Foods or Wegman's near you? Both have pretty extensive GF sections. DH really enjoys the Udi's bread as well (it's in the freezer section). I just bought him some GF Van's blueberry waffles but he hasn't tried them yet. Typically DH just eats whole foods and we cook most everything from scratch, which we've always done. He eats ice cream or good dark chocolate for something sweet instead of cakes/cookies, although I have baked with King Arthur GF flour, as well as almond flour and hazelnut flour.

If you go to WDW, make sure to check out Babycakes NYC inside Pollo Campero-all of their cupcakes/breakfast breads are GF (also free of a couple of other allergens such as eggs) and DH said he couldn't tell they were GF.

There are tons of GF recipes on Pinterest. I have a whole GF recipe folder on there, so PM me if you'd like an invite to join Pinterest or my name so you can find my recipe folder.