Gluten free eaters, please help me.

ResaBoBesa

I'm terribly sorry if this question has been asked before, I tried the search option, but I didn't see much that could answer my question.
Since December 3rd 2013 I have abstained from gluten except for once when my kid had a a few left over McDonald's chicken nuggets and I snapped. The reason is stopped eating gluten was a bit of an experiment since I have no health insurance and being tested for an intolerance or Celiac's Disease is pretty pricey. Since I was young my stomach always hurt, I've had terrible fibromyalgia for years and I was labeled infertile due to my PCOS. Why am I telling you my medical history? Well, because it all went away when I cut out the gluten and I don't want people to jump on me about gluten free being a dumb diet fad. I know this is the case for people who don't have a medical reason not to eat it, I don't do it for that reason. This is life long.
Okay, now that I have that TL;DR part out of the way. How do you deal with the fact that you can never eat the food you spent a majority of your life eating again? On one hand it's good because I've started to eat more whole foods and for the first time in my life the weight is coming off. But on the other hand, I kinda miss the pizza parlor and a really good quiche. Do these feelings of resentment towards my husband and kid eventually go away? I feel like an idiot when I get a little teary eyed when I go out to eat with friends and they don't have to scour the menu while I'm basically confined to the side dishes and salads. I dunno...advice please?

knittnponder

I can't eat gluten, nightshades (potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, paprika or tomatillos) shellfish, avocado or most grains (especially corn). You want to talk about having to scour a menu! I've been gluten free for more than three years and the other stuff was slowly added as I did elimination diets. I don't have health insurance either but I really don't give a crap what anybody says about what I eat or don't being a "fad". When I eat corn, potatoes or gluten I am curled up in the fetal position praying for death within two hours time so it definitely impacts me. Shellfish and avocado my throat closes up and my tongue gets tingly so since I like being able to breathe I skip those.

If you cut it out and felt better then added it back and felt noticeably crappier then feel comfortable cutting it. I have a dear friend who went through all the testing but came back negative for Celiacs. Yet all her husband has to do is eat something with gluten in it and give her a kiss and she's out for several days.

As for coming to grips with it, it will take time. It sucks! I'm not going to lie! But for me at least, I got to the point where hurting so bad and feeling like garbage just wasn't worth five minutes of eating. I LOVE popcorn and miss it but even with my kids happily munching on it I won't touch the stuff. (Just a personal example. There is no gluten in popcorn)

Pizza crust is hard but there are mixes that would be a good start. You can make a decent pie crust without gluten though. In fact, it's actually easier because no matter how many times you re roll it you won't toughen it since there is no gluten to develop. Just roll the dough out between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper to the size and thickness you want. Then peel off the top layer and use the bottom layer to position the crust in your pan. Peel that off, purdy up the edges and you're good to go.

jobegone

I have been tested for celiac disease etc due to terrible stomach bloating/toilet troubles in the past but the tests came back negative. However I decided to stop eating gluten to see if it made me feel better. It did.
Much much better.
However, because there is nothing 'medically' wrong with me I do give in occasionally. Sometimes I pay the price for it, sometimes I don't.

There are really good alternatives for gluten free products, albeit, they can be pricey. But if you need bread or even pizza you can get these things. Especially if you are feeling so down about not having them.

Could you not try and get your family eating gluten free foods so the temptation isn't there for you?
Unfortunately, sometimes we have to suffer a little to have an overall healthier lifestyle.

Hope it gets easier

sad_kitty

I'm sorry to hear you're having health troubles. I went through a strict GF period while determining if gluten was causing my bloat,lethary and aches on top of exacerbating some of my endometriosis symptoms. It was hard at first. I won't kid you. I was a carb lover to the max. But if cutting it out makes you feel better, you'll find that "cheating" stops being worth it. Today I still avoid most gluten containing foods, though I have found I can tolerate sprouted grain wheat bread in extreme moderation. I am not celiac, just intolerant.

I found eating out to be the hardest thing as often I was stuck eating lentil soup as I also need to be careful with soy and some dairy. But...it can be done. Some restaurants are good about letting you bring your own bread for them to toast or I've even brought rice pasta and to have them sub it in at a pasta joint. I feel like a doofus doing it, but if the restaurant can accomodate me, I leave a good tip! And you can find foods that replace the things you love. Some of them will be as good if not more enjoyable than the things you left behind in wheat-ville, and some will be close enough that they tick the boxes of what you love about a certain dish. Sometimes the things you can make will even please folks who eat wheat regularly. I recommend getting hold of some books on gluten free baking and learning about the different flours you can use (rice, brown rice, millet, quinoa, coconut, sorghum, tapioca starch, potato starch, teff flour, corn flour etc) , as well as binders to help prevent your baking from resembling piles of dry sand. Also alternative pseudograins are worth exploring. I found quinoa is perfect to substitute for cous cous in many dishes. It also makes for a great porridge (some celiacs avoid oats). Buckwheat is another. In flour form it makes dense pancakes and breads, but as a groat, it has a lovely earthy sweet taste. It also makes good porridge. Amaranth is another pseudo grain. It makes a great side dish and has a nice nutty earthy taste. I found I did a lot of my own baking from scratch initially as I find many gluten free convenience products to be not very nutritious, as well as kind of expensive. I either make my own flour to sub for commercial wheat flour with something I found in a recipe book I have (1 cup brown rice flour, 2/3 cup of tapioca starch, 1/3 cup of potato starch = 2 cups "flour". If you're using in a recipe that doesn't have eggs or mashed banana as a binder, you can use a small amount (1/4 tsp) of xanthan or guar gum to bind), or I buy the Bob's Red Mill baking mix or there's a new Robin Hood one that isn't too bad. They both make decent pancakes/waffles and cookies.

Best of luck and feel free to msg me if there's anything you think I can help you with. I have recipes for gluten free pizza crust (thin style), pancake/waffles and bread that I quite enjoy. I'd be happy to dig them out. I wouldn't say any of them are as great as the original, but they're all fascimiles that I can enjoy for what they are. Outside of breads and baking stuff, gluten free isn't too hard to abide by as dinner can be as simple as your protien source and sides of veggies and rice. Even though you're giving up wheat, you may find you enjoy some of the new foods you'll be trying as you figure out what foods will work in your diet.

*edited because I can't type

carmpeters

Are you eating dairy? If so, you can make a wonderful crustless quiche that's as good as any with a quiche. Two cups heavy cream, 4 eggs, sautéed filling (can be broccoli, ham, swiss, cheddar, spinach, artichoke hearts, asparagus, cauliflower, sausage - whatever you want), sautéed onion. Mix into a pie plate or pyrex 8x8 pan and bake 350 for about 30-40 minutes til done. Very, very good.

ResaBoBesa

Aww guys, the out pouring of help makes me feel so much better! Thank you all!

I can tell when I eat something with gluten for sure. My heart starts to beat faster, my back starts to ache, my stomach starts to churn and I feel like I have to empty my stomach in any means necessary because my stomach bloats up so bad, it pushes into my lungs. I've often counter argued my appetite with the fact that since I've cut out the gluten I've started to live. So many years of my life I've lived in pain and it was all due to one food item. It's mind boggling. I never bothered with trying to get a diagnosis since my system works. If it's an intolerance then I'm glad my intestinal lining hasn't been damaged and if it's Celiac's then I'm healing myself, either diagnosis, at this point I'm win/win.

Again, that you all for your advice! I was just feeling really horrible about it today and I felt very alone in my diet, but I know I'm not in this fight alone now.

ResaBoBesa

Are you eating dairy? If so, you can make a wonderful crustless quiche that's as good as any with a quiche. Two cups heavy cream, 4 eggs, sautéed filling (can be broccoli, ham, swiss, cheddar, spinach, artichoke hearts, asparagus, cauliflower, sausage - whatever you want), sautéed onion. Mix into a pie plate or pyrex 8x8 pan and bake 350 for about 30-40 minutes til done. Very, very good.

I do believe I found my Sunday night supper idea!! Thank you!

Ainar

Okay, now that I have that TL;DR part out of the way. How do you deal with the fact that you can never eat the food you spent a majority of your life eating again? Do these feelings of resentment towards my husband and kid eventually go away? I feel like an idiot when I get a little teary eyed when I go out to eat with friends and they don't have to scour the menu while I'm basically confined to the side dishes and salads. I dunno...advice please?

You suck it up and get used to it...

I remember for first month or so I did wanted to have that tasty food what others eat and was sad that I couldn't. But after that you just don't care anymore. Your brain does not have it so it forgets about it and you don't crave it anymore. It's like that with anything if you don't have it for long enough - drugs, sweets, caffeine, cigars, etc. It's kinda like a developing a habit, do something long enough and with time it becomes automatic and if you don't do it you even miss it and want it, only in reverse. Don't do something for too long and you don't want it anymore. So just suck it up and wait, you will get used to it with time and won't care.

On one hand it's good because I've started to eat more whole foods and for the first time in my life the weight is coming off. But on the other hand, I kinda miss the pizza parlor and a really good quiche.

There are plenty of tasty gluten free stuff. There are whole food industry for this. Schar is my favorite, they make all kinds of delicious cookies and tasty stuff, even bread. And you won't notice a difference from non-gluten free stuff. And you can just make your own pizza or quiche. You can buy all kinds of gluten free flour, and other substitutes for other stuff, to add. Like rice flour or buckwheat flour, corn flour, heck there are even gluten free wheat flour which tastes almost identical only has little different structure so you have to know how to bake it properly if you make a fancy stuff. But you can make everything you can with gluten free ingredients and you an also buy everything. So don't stress about it.

gardenerliz1

i have been gluten free for 14 years and it has really helped my health problems; they return if i indulge in gluten . not on;y do you get used to it my friends have adapted. I feel less bothered about what I can have when out than they are. It gets easier I promise especially if you embrace what you can have. You also get through the cravings
The proof of the issue is currently I am also having to follow a no fat diet as well; that feels so much worse than just gluten free and makes me realise how both myself family and friends have adapted..
Try baking books for gluten free from Phil Vickery and Hannah Miles they work look and taste great .then when family fancy some because it looks os good you have the power!! it takes time to acclimatise to different flours and grains but the taste buds also return .
good luck it is worth it in the;long term

Qskim

I'm currently waiting for test results for ceoliacs...I don't think I have it. But I've been told three different things by three different doctors. The last lot of info was that you can only be gluten sensitive if you have ceoliacss - I get drowsy and am bloated but not necessarily suffering pain. This doctor told me I may just be carb sensitive yet I can eat rice and lentils etc (she did mention low GI foods are better)., however I get the same feeling with whole grain breads too. I cut out gluten just to see and I have found that I am brighter, no bloat etc and as well, I am now picking up on reactions smaller amounts of gluten or maybe it's just wheat (still getting used to knowing what is in what).

I'm finding it all a bit confusing but then again I can't ignore what happens.

Pintado

I'm not GF but tonight I tried making a cauliflower pizza crust and it was pretty good! Especially if you're more into the toppings than the dough – just have to load it up with cheese and other tasty things. And low-calorie for pizza, too. Here's a good recipe with pics to follow: http://www.theluckypennyblog.com/2013/02/the-best-cauliflower-crust-pizza.html

EDIT: Just to be clear – it doesn't taste exactly like regular pizza. But I still thought it was yum and I didn't get bloated afterwards, so BONUS.

njitaliana

I don't have celiac disease, but I have a wheat allergy, so I've been wheat-free for 30 years. I sometimes slip up, but then I have to deal with asthma, stuffed up nose, hives, constipation, headache, etc. So, it's not really worth it for me to cheat, since I just get sick.

Do you have Pizzeria Uno restaurants near you? They have 3 different types of gluten-free pizza. My hubby gets the type he likes and I get one of the gluten-free ones. The last page of their menu is the gluten-free menu, and you can get things like chili, chicken, etc. Olive Garden and Brio now have gluten-free penne pasta. Both restaurants have a gluten-free menu.

Here's a site listing restaurants with gluten-free menus: http://glutenfreeguidehq.com/68-essential-gluten-free-restaurant-menus-you-need-to-know/

You can also buy gluten-free pizzas made by Glutino or Amy's.

You can make a mock pizza with a ground beef crust. Just cook the beef and then layer in a baking dish with sauce, pepperoni and cheese on top.

I make all my quiches without crust, although you can buy gluten-free pie crusts at Whole Foods and other stores. I make turkey bacon quiche, spinach quiche, mushroom and feta quiche, etc.

Try looking at some South Beach Diet sites for recipes, as many of their recipes are free of grains. Or Google gluten-free recipes.

AlabasterVerve

I'm lucky in that I don't have a problem with wheat and only choose to eat low carb but what makes it easy for me is to eat other delicious food. Fatty cuts of meat like whole roasted chickens, rib eyes, chuck roasts and bacon paired with vegetables sauteed in butter, with creams sauces, full fat cheeses or sour cream provide endless variety of meals that are rich, satisfying and seem indulgent. Concentrating on what you can eat that you love instead of what you can't is my advice. Best wishes.

CorlissaEats

Best advice I ever was given is to let yourself mourn. Cutting gluten out of your diet is a little like the end of an era or a death of a good friend. I don't feel resentment when others eat it- it was my choice to make this medically necessary decision. I can watch people eat donuts and cake and it doesn't bother me because I know that joining them is not worth it. But I still get frustrated when people choose restaurants that I cannot eat at or the options are completely unappealing but I'm lucky in that my friends and family go out of their most of the time to make sure I can be included.

I have a friend with a celiac disease dianosis before it started to be well known as a condition, so by the time it because apparent I had a problem too it wasn't a foreign concept. The options today are amazing. In 1999, there was only one restaurant in my city that had a gluten free menu item that wasn't a salad and the grocery stores had nothing. These days I can buy or bake a GF version of just about anything I miss from my gluten days. Awareness of food allergies is at an all time high.

blanphere

Concentrating on what you can eat that you love instead of what you can't is my advice. Best wishes.

Yep.. That's the key! I have been GF for over 7 years now. I have an intolerance / sensitivity not celiacs. I went cold turkey for the first year - not replacing anything with a GF alternative. Lost 45 lbs in the process, but the best part was I felt AMAZING! The grocery/specialty options were just not in my budget, so I just did without bread, pasta, etc. I read labels religiously. I found out that there are millions of options out there that are NATURALLY GF, so, after a short period of really hating life, I learned to cook. You CAN eat fattier cuts of meat, full fat dairy, etc. and not feel deprived. I am also cows milk and egg sensitive, and that is WAY harder to accommodate! Rice cakes with peanut butter got me through a lot of tough times!

After a couple of years, I learned how to bake GF. At the time there weren't a lot of resources for baking, but I found Nicole Hunn and Gluten Free on a Shoestring, and now I have a full arsenal of baked goods to chose from that I make at home. My bread is amazing, cookies to die for, and last nights pizza crust was fabulous! I'm not a fan of Bob's Red Mill products. They just don't make a quality product. Except for the Bob's GF Brownies - BF thinks they are better than my from scratch. One packaged mix I do rely on is Pamela's Pancake and Waffle mix. Buy it on Amazon by the case! Makes WAY better waffles and pancakes that I have every been able to make. I bake a loaf of bread every weekend (today was English muffin bread) It lasts me and BF for about a week. Because it has whey protein isolate as an ingredient, it also has lots of good protein, while being quite lean. Great toast! Part of my success has to be that I LOVE cooking, and especially baking. I'm like a mad scientist in the kitchen.

Best advice for fast food cravings - just don't go there. Make hubby take your kids. If it's not in front of you, you can't eat it.

Oh...and make sure to check out your local library for GF cookbooks and resources on healthy GF lifestyle (shameless plug for libraries! We have everything!) It will suck for a while, but not forever.

Send me a Add and I will be happy to give you any support / motivation you need while you work out the kinks!

stefanieraya

I'm terribly sorry if this question has been asked before, I tried the search option, but I didn't see much that could answer my question.
Since December 3rd 2013 I have abstained from gluten except for once when my kid had a a few left over McDonald's chicken nuggets and I snapped. The reason is stopped eating gluten was a bit of an experiment since I have no health insurance and being tested for an intolerance or Celiac's Disease is pretty pricey. Since I was young my stomach always hurt, I've had terrible fibromyalgia for years and I was labeled infertile due to my PCOS. Why am I telling you my medical history? Well, because it all went away when I cut out the gluten and I don't want people to jump on me about gluten free being a dumb diet fad. I know this is the case for people who don't have a medical reason not to eat it, I don't do it for that reason. This is life long.
Okay, now that I have that TL;DR part out of the way. How do you deal with the fact that you can never eat the food you spent a majority of your life eating again? On one hand it's good because I've started to eat more whole foods and for the first time in my life the weight is coming off. But on the other hand, I kinda miss the pizza parlor and a really good quiche. Do these feelings of resentment towards my husband and kid eventually go away? I feel like an idiot when I get a little teary eyed when I go out to eat with friends and they don't have to scour the menu while I'm basically confined to the side dishes and salads. I dunno...advice please?

If it's feasible, find a therapist and talk with them about your issues with food. I also deal with simiilar issues when I go out and friends eat what they want. But I know my plan is working for me. I keep remembering the reason why I made the decision to do this in the first place and the feelings of resentment go away. Eat to live don't live to eat. Hugs!

ResaBoBesa

I truly cannot thank you guys enough for the great advice and the support! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!:blushing: :flowerforyou:

MagnumBurrito

Just start finding new recipes and foods that you can eat that make you happy. I recently found Almond Butter. Eff yeah it's a good switch up to Peanut Butter. With a gala or fuji apple, it's the shizzznit.

Marks Daily Apple has tons of free amazing recipes. Try there.

Also know that will power is a muscle. And every time you choose eating what's right makes your will power stronger.





LeadingMuscle.com

fittocycle

I'm so sorry to hear about your health issues. I am glad to hear things have improved since you've went gluten free!

Many of us have various reasons for going gluten free. For me, it was due to migraines and joint pain. These issues are so much better since I've been gluten free.

After a while, you just adjust. I love sweets but find I don't miss cookies, cakes, etc. at all now. It sounds strange but what I do miss are crackers, especially Club crackers. Go figure!

When you go out to a restaurant, ask about gluten free options. Many restaurants don't advertise gluten free selections but they do have them. So don't be afraid to ask! Some of my favorites restaurants for gluten free options are Jason's Deli, Heidi's Brooklyn Deli, Chili's, Cheddar's, Olive Garden, and most Mexican restaurants.

Good luck to you and don't get discouraged. You can do this!:flowerforyou:

Mof3wc

It sucks, but you just do it. I have celiac and Crohn's disease, so in order to control both things I eat a gluten/oat free, nut/seed/bean/corn free, dairy/meat/egg free diet. Try going to a restuarant with that lol. We actually don't have one restuarant here (small town) with gluten free options, except salad. I do cheat sometimes, never with gluten, nuts or seeds, but with meat/dairy. Then I suffer for the next 3 days.

The best way I found to cope at the beginning was to focus on what I can eat, instead if what I can't. And I can bake pretty much everything I want. Muffins, poptarts, cake, waffles etc. The only thing I really haven't found a good replacement for is pizza, but I've found GF pizza from local pizza places isn't horrible.

meshashesha2012

it sucks and i'm stupid, but i have a bit of leeway before i break out into a rash and start wheezing because my throat is constricting from wheat.

although the allergic reactions happens with less wheat than it did 10 years ago, it's still not instantaneous. so i eat wheat free most of the time but make allowances a few times a month for stuff like regular pizza, croissants and french pastries

jaz050465

Google ' low FODMAP' elimination diet. I've found it brilliant. Now I know for sure what causes my problems, I find I don't WANT to eat certain stuff as I now know how good it feels to be without it.

stephmyers1348

I was just diagnosed with celiac diease last week.. help im so clueless as to what I can and cant eat.. im very overwhelmed right now. im also trying to already make a life style change to lose weight. this seems to be harder then I thought.. I don't know anyone with this or even where to find good products. ive checked my local grocery store but they have a very same section with not much variety is this going to have to be my new diet ..

daliyanin

I recently cut out gluten too, doctor's orders as i have a sensitivity to gluten.
Yes it is life changing, difficult, frustrating etc. Gluten and wheat are in everything. However I find that i feel so much better!
Yes it's a pain in the *kitten* to eat out. It takes forever to order anything, and quite frankly it is so inconvenient, I much rather eat at home. Which, has become a good thing, because I have been eating healthier. But plan ahead when you do eat out, and check out the menu beforehand or call to see if they have a gluten free menu.
Best of luck!! What you are doing is NOT easy, but you will be a healthier and happier person because of it.

jayjay12345654321

In the very beginning, I wasn't sure what gluten was, so I just cut out everything except produce until I could figure it out. Then I never went back. I think what has helped is that, not only did my energy levels spike, I lost my last 35 pounds without trying and I discovered so many things I would not have ordinarily tried. I don't miss things because I've replaced them with things I like better. Gluten free pizza crust is easy to make. Just use barley, rice, coconut or almond flour instead of your regular white or wheat. Same with all baked goods. Pumpernickel bread is wonderful for sandwiches. There's nothing with gluten that I like so much that it's worth how it's going to make me feel. I'd rather scoop the meat out of a papaya and snack on that. :happy: