Trying to go Gluten Free??

daynaxxanne

I feel as tho I may be celiac, or at the very least have a gluten sensitivity, I don't typically eat a lot of gluten but when I do I feel really gross. I usually can avoid it when I'm at home but when I'm out with friends, its a lot harder. My parents started following the paleo diet when I was in 7th grade, while I never joined them, I ended up eating a lot less gluten just because there simply wasn't as much in the house and our meals wouldn't contain them. Thats when I first started to notice the difference. Can anyone give me advice on going completely gluten free? Also feel free to add me, I'm looking for friends on this journey of mine.

katperr

I would suggest getting tested first for celiac. You need to rule that out cause it's serious disease. For the test you have to eat gluten so if you go gluten free now you will have to go back on to get tested. If you have gluten issues the reaction is much worse when you have been off it completely. I'm gluten sensitive and have been gf for almost 2 years. Best decision I ever made.

ClosetBayesian

You should get testing for celiac if you think you have it. You will need to eat gluten-containing products for a few weeks before you get tested. If you really have celiac, you cannot eat gluten. Period. No eating it occasionally / special treats. None.

If you're serious, go get tested.

Having said all that, I do not have celiac, but I am very, very gluten intolerant (last time I had gluten - completely accidentally - I ended up sick to the point of needing to go to the ER for IV fluids; turns out the rice I had at a local restaurant was cooked in vegetable stock which contained wheat; I was severely dehydrated for a few day, and in massive pain due to inflammation of my small intestine; and now I know to not eat rice when I go to a restaurant). I've been gluten-free for two years now.

It is not fun. You have to be diligent to the point of being paranoid. Read every label; there's gluten in most soy sauce, most Worcestershire sauce; there's gluten in many brands of ice cream (Edy's vanilla is safe, I believe, but not Edy's chocolate). Most commercial brands of lipstick / lip gloss contain gluten; EOS brand lip balm does not; I ended up making my own last year because that egg-thing doesn't fit in my pocket.

There are some decent GF baking mixes out there - Bob's Red Mill is a good brand. My husband frequently grinds his own grain mix when he bakes, or he'll use completely different ingredients (i.e., brownies made with black beans instead of flour). I usually stay away from GF alternatives, just because I've gotten used to not eating them (with the exception of pancakes on Sunday, made with GF flour). I'll have a cheeseburger made with a lettuce wrap instead of a GF bun, stuff like that.

Again, I definitely recommend getting tested; if nothing else, there's a genetic component to celiac, and if you have kids / ever plan on having kids, they should also get tested if you do have celiac.

Good luck.

MostlyWater

DH is gluten sensitive. It's hard. But to feel better, it takes work.