Struggling with following gluten & dairy free diet

jeheer

As many people have asked.. I am on a gluten free dairy free diet because I have a severe sensitivity to gluten and then suddenly became lactose intolerant. Any time I eat gluten I get severe stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and severe diarrhea. Lactose has been harder too eliminate as I love dairy probably too much. But I drink almond milk eat lactose free yogurt.

lisabinco

I have been lactose-intolerant for years. Milk, for me, is not a food. Over the last couple of years, I've dropped dairy of any kind to a miniscule amount, primarily to decrease my sodium intake (helps keep blood pressure low). It took awhile to get the hang of making meals without dairy. BUT I found that I actually feel much better without any dairy. I do miss cheese. I find I can tolerate a small amount of cheese occasionally, but have not missed eggs at all. Along the way I decided to drop wheat out of my diet, just to see, since my sister is severely gluten-sensitive -- swells up like a puffer fish with just a bit of wheat. I found I feel much better without that, too. Again, I can tolerate a small amount, but too much is not good. So these days I eat lots and lots of vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds and some non-wheat grains like rice. Once you get the hang of it, there's a lot to eat. I recommend the recipes on Forks Over Knives (they have a cookbook out, too) and Vegetarian Times has a nice recipe search engine where you can specify recipes that are dairy and/or gluten free. The few times I start feeling sorry for myself, feeling deprived (usually at a restuarant), I cave in and eat something that makes me feel crappy later. It reminds me why I don't eat some foods.

Kalikel

You really don't have to go into your reasons for asking your question. If people don't want to answer it, you can just dismiss their input. Never feel like you must defend your right to ask a question.

A good dietician should be helpful. Some grocery stores have them right in the store and they'll walk around and explain things.

blankiefinder

I also HAVE to be gluten free. Most gluten free baked goods are very unhealthy, and yucky. For certain products, all you can do is find the one that you like best. Where I live, we can buy Kinnickinnick bread products frozen. They are literally the only bread, hotdog and hamburger buns I will eat. I'll go without, rather than eat some of the other junk out there.

For most other baked goods, if I am feeling deprived, there are a few treats that are okay. Mostly though, I try to avoid all of that anyway since I'm trying to lose, not gain

PS, everything I eat tastes like real food (unless it's something I'm trying the first time, in which case, well, it's always russian roulette, but at least I'm not puking or wishing to die

If you want to send me a friend request, my diary is open to friends so you can get an idea of what I eat (not dairy free though)

cindytw

I have been GF since 2010 and have to be GF and "should" be dairy free as well. I had to be dairy free for a long time after discovering my Celiac disease, as I was super sensitive to it, even lactose free or with taking pills. It might not be the lactose, it is very common for those sensitive to gluten to be sensitive to casein and whey as the proteins are similar to gluten. I found after eliminating for a while I handle it better, at least some forms. I am a cheese addict, and that I can do most of the time now, but I still have issues with milk and sour cream and yogurt. Pills don't help me at all, which they would if it was just lactose.

My advice is to just give up the way you used to eat, grieve it, mourn it, and start fresh with a whole new outlook. Focus on real foods, that are naturally gluten free (meat, veggies, fruits, potatoes, rice, nuts, seeds, corn, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, etc.) I allowed myself a time as I grieved the loss of food as I knew it to eat whatever I wanted as long as it was GF. To sort of ease the blow! I ate a lot of junk, but it helped me get over it. Focusing on what you CAN eat helps...like ethnic foods that naturally include little or no gluten. Mexican food relies a lot on corn, Chinese and Thai use a lot of rice and rice noodles, Caribbean foods use rice a lot, Indian food can be largely GF, and you can adapt recipes for all these easily. Many restaurants have GF menus now, and most stores have GF sections.

If you go without the substitutes for a long time, eventually some of them will be more palatable, once you start to forget how bread really tastes. Some things are OK, but they all are expensive. The texture is not going to be the same, and there is just no getting around it. If you want to know about specific substitutes, message me I am happy to help!

FaylinaMeir

seeing as how it's a medical reason my best advice is just to suck it up and not eat gluten or dairy. Sorry my answer isn't nicer. I'm allergic to mushrooms, I deal with it.

Learn how to make homemade gluten free products, there are MANY good recipes out there. faylinameir.com/?p=345 There is a link to my website with a gluten free flour mix recipe. That flour is good for like pancakes, tortillas, cakes, things like that. There are others out there for homemade bread and such.
Dairy free ice cream is good too. I can't think of the brand name but whole foods sells this brand made out of almonds that is really thick and yummy.

As cliche as it sounds, I would say come up with other treats than food. I have had to "learn" this over the years, I think that was one behavior that got me obese in the first place unfortunately.

jenilla1

I've always been within the healthy weight range, and I'm not gluten free for weight loss purposes. TMI, but I vomit out both ends when I eat gluten, so it's not a fad for me to avoid it. I had been sick daily for over a decade before I found a doctor who recommended going dairy and gluten free. Amazing difference - this was before the current craze and I wish I'd known about it during all those years of misery.

Luckily, after several months gluten free I found I was able to add some cheese back in. That's good, since living without cheese was just sad. The gluten free part is easy. I've been at it for a few years now. Those who do it as a fad probably won't last, since it's inconvenient as hell. At first I missed sandwiches, but then I just switched to making wraps with corn tortillas instead. I don't find GF to be expensive at all. There are plenty of other whole grains out there that don't trash your intestines. Good luck OP!

Sabine_Stroehm

Have you joined the GF group on here? Might be a good source of support.

libbydoodle11

jeheer wrote: »

Hi,
I was wondering of anyone had any advice on how to follow a gluten/dairy free diet and still feel like they are not being deprived of stuff. I have really been struggling with this. I grew up eating a normal diet so I know what "normal" food tastes like. I will be honest some gluten free food tastes nasty and is ridiculously expensive. Any suggestions on how to eat healthy but still feel like you get to "indulge" at times? Thanks

I do eat gluten foods maybe twice a month at the most, usually less than that. I have been dairy free for close to three years. I never cared for milk but cheese and yogurt were my faves and they were the hardest to break free of. They were like heroine to me. Dairy and my tummy have never gotten along. It took me years to get away from dairy. I loved it so.

I've tried the gluten free products and I really don't think they are worth the money. The only gluten free product I like is the Tinkyada rice pasta. Other than that I avoid any gluten free claiming product. Subs just don't cut it.
For gluten free stuff I stick with the basics: fruit, veggies,legumes, rice, quinoa, oat groats, sometimes buckwheat groats, millet or amaranth.

Cheese and yogurt were harder for me to give up. I don't usually go for the subs because again they are pricey and not as good as I would like them to be. For cheese I will sometimes use Daiya. For yogurt I will sometimes go with the SO Delicious brand. I like the plain, I can flavor it how I like. They make a good sour cream as well. I was never really a milk drinker. I found that I did like almond milk or even some of the newer coconut milks out there. I used to like to make lattes or mochas on occasion. I would usually go for the unsweetened versions. I used to use the SO Delicious coconut milks and the Pacific Naturals almond milk, unsweetened. Oh, and my favorite dairy free ice cream right now is Luna and Larry's coconut bliss, salted caramel and chocolate.

I found that when I was first breaking free of dairy it was more beneficial to not even have any of the subs around. It would just make me miss my yogurt and cheese that much more. It took time and now I no longer feel deprived. It was definitely worth it for me.

I hope you find what works for you.

canadjineh

Nature's Path has good gf cereal for quick mornings - I use either raw pumpkinseed milk (local supplier) or Almond Breeze Vanilla Unsweetened. Be careful with oats if you have severe reaction to gluten as they should be certified clean/GF - they are quite easily contaminated with wheat in processing (same facilities) or even in the field if grown in rotation. I use 1 loaf of bread a month and it is always toasted - O'Dough's Flax bread is a favorite as is Udi's Omega Flax. I was never a sandwich gal anyhow. I like Barilla GF pasta or San Zenone or Tinkyada, but again only once a week or so. I like quinoa (be sure to rinse it really well before cooking or it is bitter from the saponin on the grains) and brown Basmati rice. The only dairy I eat is cheese, preferably hard such as Grana Padano Parmesan, Swiss, or old Cheddar, and yogourts - Greek and regular. I also eat cottage cheese once in a while but try to make it the dry one as that has no whey and is very low in carbs but high in protein. None of these dairy products bother me like milk and ice cream do. I think it is because they are pre-digested by bacteria and are easier for our bodies to assimilate. Do all dairy products bother you or just some - like me? I went dairy free totally as a test for a couple years and felt better, but I was able to add back the cheese & yogourt after I went GF and found the big problem was gluten. Then my GI tract and wheezy lungs weren't quite as touchy about the dairy.
- You are welcome to join us on the Gluten Free board, we aren't a bunch of big posters but there is some helpful info if you read back a bit in the threads.

RodaRose

Eat rice and potatoes. Potatoes are wonderful. Add lots of olive oil or Earth Balance margarine.
Hubby and I keep Udi's bread in the freezer in case I want some toast for a treat.
Pizza crust -- I have managed without that. I do not need the calories anyway.
If you want a pizza, make a crustless one (see recipes on line for no crust pizza) or make or buy a cauliflower or rice crust.
Make a crustless quiche with tofu instead of cheese. That would be a decedent breakfast food for a few mornings in a row.
Chex makes Gluten Free cereals that are not expensive: Rice Chex and Corn Chex.

Go to Pintrest.com for lots of GF and DF ideas that are easy and satisfying. Also look for bloggers and youtube videos.
Some of the paleo sites are GF and DF -- look into those.

NatalieLJ

I'm intolerant to gluten and dairy too, which was hard to hear as I was a huge lover of pasta and cheeses. I'm not a big fan of bread-based products anyway, and the gluten-free range is really bland, so haven't missed those, just pizza but many large pizza companies now offer gluten-free for the occasional treat. I substitute with rice or rice noodles now instead, and also occasionally buy gluten-free pasta, although it isn't as nice as the normal stuff and seeing I've been mostly following a low-carb diet I've cut these out for a while. You do get used to it, especially when you remember how ill these foods make you, it's just not worth it. I do miss my dairy, but have switched to almond or hazelnut milk, lactose-free soft cheese and soya yoghurt, and found these to be just as nice and I feel a lot better for it. I've also started eating more 'clean' meals, such as salad, a piece of meat/fish, sweet potato and/or vegtables. You're right about the additional expense for some items, just got to shop around if you can, and go where the offers are (then stock up the cupboards/freezer when you find them). Good luck.

maidentl

Kalikel wrote: »

A good dietician should be helpful. Some grocery stores have them right in the store and they'll walk around and explain things.

:huh:

Lottiotta

Hey how about we stop assuming that people need educating on their own food intolerances and actually answer the original question? If you're not GF and DF, go awayyyy.

avoidtheclapp107

You'll be surprised how cooking eggs with good oil (I use coconut, but any "real" oil will work) and salt satisfy the eggs/cheese craving.

A_Dabauer

I went through a similar thing as the OP, I had testing done and it came back with a sensitivity to gluten, yeast and nightshades. Yeast is in just about EVERYTHING that is processed, including all dairy that's been cultured. Even though I've been following a very restrictive diet for years this additional elimination from my diet made me feel like I couldn't eat anything and for several weeks struggled with eating much of anything.

However, on the advice of someone I was talking to I went out and bought several Paleo cook books. I'm not a die hard Paleo person but the recipes are a great way of making food that's tasty and that fits in with the whole no-dairy, no-grain approach. The positive for people like us, is we still can have other grains, like rice and corn. The best GF pasta I found is a 4 grain from Catelli...Hope that helps!

luvmydawgs

I think it is absolutely absurd that so many people on this thread think they know more than my doctor! I am not celiac, but I have an autoimmune disease that forces gluten to attack my body and bloat and make me very sick. So unless you are living in someone's body who doesn't tolerate gluten then you should keep you ill-advised dialog to yourself about it being a fad!

As for how I handle it. I just try to eat as clean as I can. I sneak in gluten free chips and Mexican food every once in a while. I have actually learned to love this way of eating...

MelRC117

luvmydawgs wrote: »

I think it is absolutely absurd that so many people on this thread think they know more than my doctor! I am not celiac, but I have an autoimmune disease that forces gluten to attack my body and bloat and make me very sick. So unless you are living in someone's body who doesn't tolerate gluten then you should keep you ill-advised dialog to yourself about it being a fad!

As for how I handle it. I just try to eat as clean as I can. I sneak in gluten free chips and Mexican food every once in a while. I have actually learned to love this way of eating...

You must not have the read their whole thing. UNLESS THERE IS A MEDICAL REASON TO DO SO, there is no reason to not eat gluten or dairy. No one is claiming to be a doctor. You have a medical reason to not eat gluten, but there are plenty of people that think gluten is bad or unhealthy when it isn't.

kjktsmom

jeheer wrote: »

Hi,
I was wondering of anyone had any advice on how to follow a gluten/dairy free diet and still feel like they are not being deprived of stuff. I have really been struggling with this. I grew up eating a normal diet so I know what "normal" food tastes like. I will be honest some gluten free food tastes nasty and is ridiculously expensive. Any suggestions on how to eat healthy but still feel like you get to "indulge" at times? Thanks