Going gluten free?

kirianna55
kirianna55 Posts: 459 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Since so many people in my family are allergic to gluten, I am taking it out of my diet to see how my body reacts. Any tips or advice for me? Things that make it easier? I have about 12 loaves of gluten free bread to take home this week.

I have several cousins that are allergic to corn, soy, gluten, milk and eggs.

Replies

  • silken555
    silken555 Posts: 478 Member
    Before you do that have yourself tested for gluten intolerance. Removing gluten without a medical reason is not necessary though you can definitely add grains that are naturally gluten free to your diet.
  • kirianna55
    kirianna55 Posts: 459 Member
    The last time I took gluten out of my diet I lost almost 20 pounds in two weeks. Once I get my medical back I plan on having a blood test to see what I am allergic to.
  • tawanda6329
    tawanda6329 Posts: 139 Member
    Try to stay away from the Gluten free substitutes when you first start out. So try eating meat, fruit, vegetables, rice and potatoes. Then gradually add in gluten free grains and see how your body reacts. This method is cheaper than paying to get tested.
  • jess6742
    jess6742 Posts: 146
    Get the blood test done first to see if you are actually gluten sensitive or have celiac's disease. If you stop eating gluten before you take it the test will come back negative even if you have gluten sensitivity. Celiacs and gluten sensitivity put you at greater risk of developing osteoperosis and other issues caused by malnutrition. Those are issues that your physician will want to monitor.

    I had my blood test for celiac's this morning. I ate wheat products all last week and this week to prep for it. Now that I've had the test I'm going to do the FODMAP elimination diet.
  • maracuya23
    maracuya23 Posts: 122
    I find it much easier to look for things that are naturally gluten-free, and constantly keep a list in my head of "safe" options. For example, most latin foods (generally made with corn), salads (unless they have croutons), grilled seafood, fresh fruit and veggies, beans, chickpeas, yogurt, kefir, milk, roasted chicken (though check if purchasing pre-made), etc. are all naturally gluten-free. If you're missing grains, rice, corn, polenta, grits, quinoa, and buckwheat are gluten-free naturally.
  • kirianna55
    kirianna55 Posts: 459 Member
    I have three months until I will have medical again.
  • LB2812
    LB2812 Posts: 158 Member
    I would add to not try to change too much else in your diet, because otherwise you wouldn't know if it was the gluten or the other thing. I was trying to go gluten free for a bit as an elimination diet, but then I got super stressed out over another issue and that was causing me stomach problems, so I could no longer tell what gluten free was doing and decided to put it on hold until other things calmed down. But anyway, I wouldn't get rid of gluten and soy for instance, or you won't know which one it is bothering you.

    I bought some rice pasta at trader joe's and it was just fine. I'm not a fan of the corn tortilla wraps. I was using potatos a little more often because I'm jsut a carb addict :P Larabars were a good on the go snack. I didn't find it too difficult unless I hadn't planned and I was hungry while at work or something like that.
  • bob_day
    bob_day Posts: 87
    Get checked for gluten sensitivity by a doctor. A gluten free diet
    makes it all the more difficult to get the fiber your body needs.
  • lambchristie
    lambchristie Posts: 552 Member
    I have three months until I will have medical again.

    You could call and ask our doctor to do a test if you are concern about this for yourself.
    He/She could mail the lab slip to you, go have the blood drawn and wait a few days for results.

    They can call you with results .. and thereby saving you the time/expense of going into the office.
  • kirianna55
    kirianna55 Posts: 459 Member
    I plan on adding more fruits and veggies to replace some of my grains
  • Crohns2013
    Crohns2013 Posts: 57 Member
    There is no test to test for gluten intolerance/sensitivity!!! You can be tested for Celiac disease, and you can be tested for an actually allergy, but you can still get quite sick from an intolerance that will not show up on any blood test. There is nothing wrong with cutting gluten out to see if it makes a difference for you or not.
  • bhallyktkt
    bhallyktkt Posts: 14
    I cut gluten out about 6 weeks ago and I feel so much better. Gone is the heartburn and sour stomach every night, gone are "most" of my sugar cravings. I never had a blood test. A week or so ago I did intentionally have food heavy with gluten to see how I reacted...it was not pleasant.

    Just make sure you are getting your nutritional needs met via other healthy alternatives.
  • Bernadette60614
    Bernadette60614 Posts: 707 Member
    Anyone tried eliminating the other foods which are said to be responsible for most sensitivities:

    corn, dairy, peanuts, soy?
  • happieharpie
    happieharpie Posts: 229 Member
    I'm grain, dairy, and added salt and sugar free. I feel like a million bucks. First time since I was eighteen that I have NO cravings or desire to binge, and trust me, that was NUMEROUS presidential terms ago.
  • alyhuggan
    alyhuggan Posts: 717 Member
    The last time I took gluten out of my diet I lost almost 20 pounds in two weeks. Once I get my medical back I plan on having a blood test to see what I am allergic to.
    No offence but it's impossible to lose 20 pounds of fat in two weeks, that's 10 weeks work MINIMUM unless you are severely overweight even then it's no less than 5 except for extreme circumstances
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Unless you are experiencing some of the ill effects of a gluten intolerance there is no reason to cut it out and you won't lose weight just by doing it. Gluten free products generally have more calories than regular foods, are expensive and taste like crap. My granddaughter is celiac and my husband has a wheat allergy. We've found the best solution is to just not eat foods with gluten in them.
  • kasey98226
    kasey98226 Posts: 18
    I am lactose intolerant (but LOVE cheese and creamy foods) other than the occasional stomach upset when pregnant if I ate too much dairy, I never knew something was up. I eliminated dairy 2 months ago for 2 weeks, and my skin cleared up a lot, lost a few pounds, and did nothing else different other than cutting out dairy. A month ago I drank a few coffee shakes, made/ate some ice cream, and was naughty. Broke out, and felt bloated. Didn't gain much scaled weight, but I was moving around a lot more than I was before. Minor/moderate food interferences are hard to notice until you cut them out for a while. My friend cut out gluten and had similar results.
  • ecw3780
    ecw3780 Posts: 608 Member
    Celiac Disease is genetic, so if you have family members who have it, you could have it too. However, to be tested for it, you have to have gluten in your diet for the antibodies to be present. If you just want to experiment, I would eat normally and keep a very detailed food diary about how you feel physically and emotionally. Then take out gluten and see if anything changes. There are a lot of different symptoms of celiac disease though, it is would probably just be easier to go get the blood test first.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    The last time I took gluten out of my diet I lost almost 20 pounds in two weeks. Once I get my medical back I plan on having a blood test to see what I am allergic to.
    No offence but it's impossible to lose 20 pounds of fat in two weeks, that's 10 weeks work MINIMUM unless you are severely overweight even then it's no less than 5 except for extreme circumstances

    OP didn't say she thought her lose was fat. People with true gluten sensitivity have an inflammatory reaction to it. Inflammation means lbs of water being pumped into the inflamed area as part of the body's inflammatory response. Once the the problem has been removed, and the inflammation subsides, the water weight comes off.
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    I would wait, personally. If you're not having any reaction, why remove it? To lose weight? Being gluten free doesn't cause weight loss, a deficit does. Most people go GF and lose weight because they're replacing bread with veges or fruit not because gluten is some terrible diet demon.
  • rfihn
    rfihn Posts: 35 Member
    Just throwing it out there that if you do take the gluten free bread home to keep it in the freezer. It goes bad super quickly and is also very delicate. You'll want to toast it in order to use it for a sandwich without it crumbling into pieces. I am not gluten free, just worked at a deli for a while and we had gluten free options.
  • Bernadette60614
    Bernadette60614 Posts: 707 Member
    I'm grain, dairy, and added salt and sugar free. I feel like a million bucks. First time since I was eighteen that I have NO cravings or desire to binge, and trust me, that was NUMEROUS presidential terms ago.

    I'm a vegetarian/vegan...and I would find going grain free tough. How do you manage this?
  • Scubanana7
    Scubanana7 Posts: 361 Member
    Get checked for gluten sensitivity by a doctor. A gluten free diet
    makes it all the more difficult to get the fiber your body needs.

    not really. veges/fruit have plenty of fiber. as do the nut and seed flours. I am happily gluten free and not Celiac. My energy level has soared.
  • DatMurse
    DatMurse Posts: 1,501 Member
    The last time I took gluten out of my diet I lost almost 20 pounds in two weeks. Once I get my medical back I plan on having a blood test to see what I am allergic to.

    because gluten adds calories right?
    Gluten gives your body energy?
  • Scubanana7
    Scubanana7 Posts: 361 Member
    Get the blood test done first to see if you are actually gluten sensitive or have celiac's disease. If you stop eating gluten before you take it the test will come back negative even if you have gluten sensitivity. Celiacs and gluten sensitivity put you at greater risk of developing osteoperosis and other issues caused by malnutrition. Those are issues that your physician will want to monitor.

    I had my blood test for celiac's this morning. I ate wheat products all last week and this week to prep for it. Now that I've had the test I'm going to do the FODMAP elimination diet.

    Huh??? Malnutrition...???? HUH???? Confused, very very confused on malnutrition.

    I have been GRAIN FREE since March. I make home-made muffins, pancakes, and breads from nut and seed flours. I get plenty of fiber. I feel fantastic....not starved.
  • maracuya23
    maracuya23 Posts: 122
    Re: malnutrition and Celiac's. Folks with the condition have severe enough damage to the lining of their intestines that they no longer absorb all of the nutrition from foods they ingest, leaving them malnourished. Once gluten-free, the autoimmune reaction stops, allowing their intestinal walls to repair themselves and nutrients to be fully absorbed again.

    A balanced gluten-free diet with plenty of fresh fruit and veg would not leave someone lacking fiber or micronutrients.
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    Re: malnutrition and Celiac's. Folks with the condition have severe enough damage to the lining of their intestines that they no longer absorb all of the nutrition from foods they ingest, leaving them malnourished. Once gluten-free, the autoimmune reaction stops, allowing their intestinal walls to repair themselves and nutrients to be fully absorbed again.

    A balanced gluten-free diet with plenty of fresh fruit and veg would not leave someone lacking fiber or micronutrients.

    This. This is why people who are gluten intolorent/celiac may find themselves losing weight before being diagnosed...among other reasons.
  • aloha311
    aloha311 Posts: 118 Member
    There is also wheat allergies. I personally am allergic to wheat, rye and barley. I do not have a gluten intolerance or Celiac's disease but I have to remove it from my diet because of my wheat allergy. That is something else to have checked out.
  • missygeisha
    missygeisha Posts: 5
    I don't think so ! I don't eat gluten and i can tell you I eat a lot of fibre and I have been healthier ever since. Go figure, when I really want to eat a pizza I make the crust out of zucchini It's healthier, packed with fibre and tasty and gluten free. That said, going gluten free is not easy, far from that but definitely healthier if you don't but all the gluten free substitute supermarkets offer.
  • kirianna55
    kirianna55 Posts: 459 Member
    The last time I took gluten out of my diet I lost almost 20 pounds in two weeks. Once I get my medical back I plan on having a blood test to see what I am allergic to.
    No offence but it's impossible to lose 20 pounds of fat in two weeks, that's 10 weeks work MINIMUM unless you are severely overweight even then it's no less than 5 except for extreme circumstances

    OP didn't say she thought her lose was fat. People with true gluten sensitivity have an inflammatory reaction to it. Inflammation means lbs of water being pumped into the inflamed area as part of the body's inflammatory response. Once the the problem has been removed, and the inflammation subsides, the water weight comes off.


    Exactly. I didnt lose fat loss, I lost a lot of water weight. I have been gluten free for three days and have i have already lost 1.3 pounds.

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