Gluten Free Girls (and Guys!)

iRun4wine

Alright here it is... didn't work out so well the first time, but we'll give it another go

This thread is for support/advice/recipes/tips/websites/restaurants... and anything else that those who have Celiac's, gluten-intolerance, are gluten-sensitive, or simply choose to be gluten free want to chat about... Welcome :flowerforyou:

Maybe we could start by just telling a little bit of 'our story'?

I'll start:
In September my stomach started bothering me. It always has to come degree, but I've never really thought much of it and just kind of dealt with it. But, in September it got really, really bad. Without getting too personal, I had all sorts of gastrointestinal symptoms and spent a lot of time in the bathroom, unable to move off the couch without help due to crippling lower stomach pain/extreme bloating (I literally looked pregnant:noway: ), calling out of work, etc. I had been seeing my doctor for a combination of hypoglycemia/stomach issues and ended up finding out that I have abnormally high thyroid levels and will soon start medication. After a month or so of being really sick, I started to realize that it seemed like it was bread and bread products making me sick. I told my doctor and he had me cut out gluten completely. A few weeks later he did a blood test and said I do not have Celiac's but that I should continue to eat no gluten :noway: Since then, I've been told that the blood tests are often inaccurate, and mine probably was since I hadn't eaten gluten prior to testing. I see a specialist in a few weeks. At this point, I'm frustrated, but hopeful. Not sure exactly what is wrong, but it's absolutely related to gluten. Since I have been gluten free, my hypoglycemia symptoms and all of my stomach/gastrointestinal issues have completely disappeared and I feel wonderful. In fact, I didn't realize how crappy I felt before until I cut out gluten and realized what it's like to feel amazing

batbetenoire99

Hi. I have celiacs.
I was actually thinking of posting and seeing if anyone else had a similar problem ... but didn't :embarassed: . When I saw your post I was excited.
I have been as gluten free as possible for over ten years. It will be nice to have someone to share with.
I also had similar symptoms. And my health improves depending on what I eat. I have noticed that the longer you have celiacs that the severity of symptoms with each exposure can be more severe and take longer to heal. But everyone's celiacs is unique. From what I have heard some people have been able to tolerate oat ... I cannot.
Nice to meet you.

nicolee516

Kelynn, you know I am in!:flowerforyou: I had similar symptoms. I can eat oats, I do sparingly. 2 other cuplrits for me are corn and soy. My health practitioner say they share the same phenolics as wheat. I can't remember what that means, but I just know that they affect me as well. It is soooo tough to keep away from all 3 of those!

iRun4wine

Welcome, ladies. Glad you're both here.

Funny thing is I posted a "is anyone interested in starting a gluten free group" thread a month or two ago and only 1 or 2 people responded, so it didn't really work- I hope this thread will be much more successful.

I'm sure that much of what I might say is "old news" to those of you that have been GF for a while now, but I just discovered Bob's Red Mill GF Cinnamon Raisin bread mix... oh my goodness! Amazing. And, I was able to find it at our local "Odd Lots" discount odds and ends store for much cheaper than the grocery store! :bigsmile:

auntbliz

My husband and two of my kids have celiacs (the kids are undiagnosed). Apparently my hubby and his sister were diagnosed when they were toddlers, but his parents thought it was something they outgrew, so never told them about it when they were older, and didn't feed them gluten free after they thought the symptoms had gone away. Fast forward twentysome years and our little girl is 2 years old and had failure to thrive for quite some time, so I started eliminating things from her diet one at a time to try and find if that was the culprit, and sure enough, gluten was it. The change was night and day, she stopped waking screaming at night, she stopped throwing horrid tantrums, she stopped having diaper blowouts and she soon after was able to be potty trained without screaming like the devil was in the toilet everytime we went in there, lol. Then when I introduced solids into the baby's diet, it was apparent that anything with wheat in it was giving him bowel problems. He has also developed dermatitis, my husband has that as well, since he was 12. We have been gluten free (with the occasional mishap) since the end of May, and my son and daughter have both gained weight, my daughter is back on the growth charts and my son is back up out of the single digits where he had dropped to. The interesting thing about all of this is that I found out around the same time that I am highly allergic to wheat, so when our family went gluten free, I lost 20 pounds in a matter of a couple months and didn't change anything about my lifestyle except the wheat. Go figure! I have been fighting weight loss for so long, and now I have lost 40 pounds since June, of course, the last 24 are not coming off nearly so easily, part of that has to do with holiday baking though. I have some yummy GF banana bread, bread, and cookie recipes, and of course, fudge, so it's been a bit of a struggle with willpower here.

equinegirl200

I had been thinking of starting a group for a few weeks, but there didnt seem to be much of a response when I meantioned it before, so this is great!

I have been gluten free for about 8 years. I was diagnosed about 9 months after becoming celiac (it was an awful 9 months of dr appointments and bathroom visits haha!) when I was a sophomore in high school. I have really found it to be a great way to learn about nutrition, and eat healthier.

I have learned to embrace my celiac disease and I am glad all the time that I can't eat all the crap that others can! I am always looking for easy and quick meals and snacks (I am a terrible cook and quite busy).

The biggest challenge I have had is getting plenty of fiber and whole grains into my diet. I have done a fair amount of research and have been trying to get alternative grains into my diet, but find it challenging because as I said, I am an awful cook If anyone knows of some good high fiber/whole grain products or recipes let me know!!!

For you newbies, I encourage you to look at the bright side of the situation. It is so nice to not have the option to eat the whole box of donuts or bag of cookies! You dont even have to think of a good excuse to pass up that cake at a party, a simple "I'm allergic" works great! Good luck guys, and I am happy to answer questions if you have them!

auntbliz

It IS very nice to have an excuse to say no to all the treats at all the church functions we go to. So often is homemade goodies that people bring to things, and I'm missing a holiday cookie exchange tomorrow because I'm the only one who bakes my cookies with rice flour I know those things are horrible for me to go to, as I have a tendency to eat the sweets faster than anyone else in my home. As for fast meals, man, I feel you there. I have started to freeze some of our leftovers in meal size containers, so that when we need a quick meal, we don't always have to turn to hormel chili, tamales, or dinty moore beef stew, gets old fast, lol.

yvonneh

Hi everyone! I'm glad so many people are interested in this so far! I have a gluten intolerance. I noticed I was feeling like I had a cold all the time, and when I would eat certain meals, I'd be bloated and swollen all over for two or three days. I went to a nutritionist who did some tests and said my body was reacting to gluten, dairy (cow) and eggs. That made it really hard to cook! Luckily, after a couple of months of cutting out the gluten, I found I could handle the eggs and dairy just fine. I did some research and found that this isn't so unusual because the gluten irritates the lining of the colon, which then may make it harder for the body to process other foods. As the colon healed, I was able to eat the dairy and eggs again.

This time of year is tricky, however, because there are so many parties and good things. Sometimes I like to try to sneak in some gluten free baked goods to see if anyone notices. My favorite is to mix 1 part tapioca and 1 part millet flour in with the 1 part rice flour, and add a little xanthum gum to hold it together. It gives a really nice, earthy taste to cookies and scones. But for cakes, Pamela's mix just has a better consistency than I can make myself.

Mike was also very supportive of the idea of putting health topics under the "Find Members" link. He said they would add it to the "to do" list, so soon gluten freers can easily find each other on MFP.

iRun4wine

Wow! I'm so thrilled with the response to this thread! Funny what difference a few months can make, I guess! It's so interesting, and comforting to hear everyone's story. I think this is the start of a great group! :flowerforyou:

slieber

Ditto here - have to be gluten free. My grandfather died from it. I have a "watered down" version of celiac. In other words, unless I spend a lot of time eating it, I likely won't die from the occasional indulgence, but it hurts SO much when I have had it (by accident or by design - I can tell within an hour if I've eaten something I shouldn't have), that I prefer to stay away from it.

Also have to be lactose free. It's hell. I'm both allergic and intolerant of lactose. Lactose symptoms are far worse but mostly, at this point, it won't kill me the way gluten could.

batbetenoire99

Celiac's runs on my mother's side of the family, while my father's side has Crohn's. I do not know if this has what has left me so extra reactive but I can't even do rice flour anymore. At first I could, but over time my body changed. Partly from accidental exposures from well meaning friends in social situations and my own mistakes when I tried to be like normal people. Even things that I had previously thought of as a safe food I have learned the hard way to never trust and recheck and reread labels. When I would be on a road trip I would just stop off at a grocery store and get some fresh fruit and some regular cottage cheese plain if I was hungry. I am not lactose intolerant thankfully. But on a trip a year ago I had just eaten the cottage cheese and doubled over in pain. I thought I had food poisoning but it felt like gluten exposure pain. I don't know about the rest of you ... but when I was a Celiac newbie I would have bloating and stomach ache. Now it is like your worst hang over nausea that just increases in intensity. I won't go into the graphic details. After which I am just a physical wreck and start to suffer from signs of extreme malnutrition due to my body's inability to process properly.
It turned out that the cottage cheese that is at the regular grocery store now adds flour to their cottage cheese. Why? I don't know. I can only get safe cottage cheese from TJ's or WF's or other health food stores.
I am like slieber's grandfather. I think it very likely could kill me.
My sister has it and tried to do the celiac lite diet .... and I hoped she would be lucky because it is a challenge for me. But it turns out hers is severe as well and she can't eat the oat either. She had her fingernails dropping off and hair falling out at her worst before she changed her diet. Even her teeth had changed color. Now her hair has recovered and her nails. Her teeth are better. Ironically, I cannot discuss Celiac's with her. She is new to it and is very angry and frustrated with the changes she would have to make ( which I understand).
I know one girl at work who is just sensitive to gluten. But I am grateful that this group is here. As it is lonely at times and the issues that come up can make socializing for me more difficult. Eating and sharing food is a huge part of socializing.
I use MFP to keep track of things I am eating and energy levels (exercise accomplished) as a way of protecting my health and seeing what works. I think for me Celiac's has been a constant work in progress. Since I don't eat any gluten or grain I don't have a weight loss issue as much as a weight regulation issue. Fluctuations can tell me if I am exposed or if I need more calories or fat to maintain a healthy weight.

nicolee516

Ditto here - have to be gluten free. My grandfather died from it. I have a "watered down" version of celiac. In other words, unless I spend a lot of time eating it, I likely won't die from the occasional indulgence, but it hurts SO much when I have had it (by accident or by design - I can tell within an hour if I've eaten something I shouldn't have), that I prefer to stay away from it.

Also have to be lactose free. It's hell. I'm both allergic and intolerant of lactose. Lactose symptoms are far worse but mostly, at this point, it won't kill me the way gluten could.

I can tell within an hour too!!!!!! UGH! I am not lactose intolerant, but as I said before, corn and soy also get me. Soy being the worst. It actually makes my body tingly.!

auntbliz

I've been trying to figure out what else my son has, and to a lesser degree my daughter and husband. I may see it more in the baby because he is still in diapers, but I know that he's also got a dairy problem in a big way. If I accidentally use something like potato flakes as a thickener, he will get super sick for days, to the point that his bowels are causing him to bleed from the acidity or something, the poor guy! It's so frustrating, I keep thinking that I'm accidentally poisoning him, but don't know what it is. Anyway, he's got a doctor's appointment next week and I'm going to see if I can get them to run a full allergy panel, or at least send him to someone who will. His intestinal symptoms when exposed to gluten or dairy are far worse than the other two, sometimes I feel like not letting him eat anything but rice and peas and bananas, because I know they don't make him ill I feel like our food choices are so limited, I used to use a lot of cheese with my cooking, but now I can't put it in anything in case someone accidentally feeds it to him. Ugh, sorry for the pity party, just been quite the week with the food. And of course, the stress makes me eat more junk, lol. ARGHHH!

nicolee516

See if he can tolerate Sheep's milk or goat's milk cheese. My son and husband are lactose intolerant and we goat's milk cheddar cheese. they seem to be able to tolerate that better.

mshay05

Well I am a newbie to celiac. I was diagnosed in March or this year. I was also diagnosed with Crohn's. My doctors told me that they have never heard of anyone having both so lucky me!! ha.:laugh: Anyways, I found out after a party serving Boulevard Wheat beer. Let me tell you I don't even want to look at the stuff again!!! I was in and out of hospitals and doctors offices for months before they could figure out what was wrong with me. Finally I was put on meds and told to stay away from gluten and I feel a lot better. I still have bad days but it is nothing like what I went through before being diagnosed.

auntbliz

Okay, so I've never seen goats milk cheddar cheese, I will have to look closer I guess. We haven't even bothered trying the soy cheese, because I've heard that it's not anything the same as dairy, so not to bother with it, but I do wonder about the other animal cheeses. One reason I haven't thought about doing that is that I was told that the lactase and proteins in those other animal milks were the same as cows, so it wasn't an option really, but if your family doesn't have issues with them, maybe I will give it a shot if I can find them! My hubby would be so happy if we could use cheese again that tasted like cheese!

yvonneh

Okay, so I've never seen goats milk cheddar cheese, I will have to look closer I guess. We haven't even bothered trying the soy cheese, because I've heard that it's not anything the same as dairy, so not to bother with it, but I do wonder about the other animal cheeses. One reason I haven't thought about doing that is that I was told that the lactase and proteins in those other animal milks were the same as cows, so it wasn't an option really, but if your family doesn't have issues with them, maybe I will give it a shot if I can find them! My hubby would be so happy if we could use cheese again that tasted like cheese!

My healthfood store has started carrying almond milk cheese. I tried it and it was OK- better than soy cheese. RiceDream icecream is very good!

iRun4wine

Just wanted to share that there is a woman at school who is retiring and they're having a lunch for her. She has Celiac's, as does one other woman at school. I'm not sure if the other staff just don't know or what, but there is a sign up sheet for us to write down what we'd like to bring, and most of the teachers are bringing stuff that is NOT gluten free :huh: :noway: Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose? So, I signed up to bring gluten-free muffins for her. At least she'll be able to eat SOMETHING at her own party. Seems like the teachers/staff that are organizing the party should have let people know what would be appropriate snacks. Not that they have to embarrass her, or have every food item there be gluten-free, but SOME would be nice!

nicolee516

Kelynn- Some people just don't get it and don't want to! I have that issue with alot of people including my MIL. She is always like "just a little bit won't hurt!" YEAH RIGHT!!!!!


I have tried the Almond cheese- It tastes good but it plugs me up....I know ...I know.... TMI!:laugh: :laugh:

iRun4wine

Anyone care to share what a "typical" day looks like for them as far as meals go?

I'm trying to re-lose the weight I lost over the summer, but now I'm having to do it gluten-free. Of course, a lot of the GF substitute foods are high in calories, so I try not too eat too much of that- try to stick to more naturally gluten-free foods that normal people eat, too! :laugh:

I eat a lot of foods that I like, and I actually don't really mind eating pretty much the same stuff each day, but it'd be nice to hear what you guys are eating!

nicolee516

Kelynn- Feel free to look at my diary, it's public. I pretty much eat the same foods most of the time and most of it is from scratch.

iRun4wine

Kelynn- Feel free to look at my diary, it's public. I pretty much eat the same foods most of the time and most of it is from scratch.

Oh, cool thanks!

Edit: Holy moly, girl! What are you doing to burn over 1,000 calories exercising!?!? :noway:

nicolee516

Kelynn- Feel free to look at my diary, it's public. I pretty much eat the same foods most of the time and most of it is from scratch.

Oh, cool thanks!

Edit: Holy moly, girl! What are you doing to burn over 1,000 calories exercising!?!? :noway:

I don't know if you looked at my exercise diary, but I run which burns alot as you know, since you are a runner too. We have 20 acres, hilly acres I should say, and I do alot of outside chores, from moving firewood to draggins stuff to the burn pile etc. Sometimes I struggle with getting all of my calories in on the weekend. then somedays I blow it. As you can see, even though I said I can't do corn, I do it occasionally with the tortilla chips. they are my fav! I do avoid all soy and wheat though.

iRun4wine

Kelynn- Feel free to look at my diary, it's public. I pretty much eat the same foods most of the time and most of it is from scratch.

Oh, cool thanks!

Edit: Holy moly, girl! What are you doing to burn over 1,000 calories exercising!?!? :noway:

I don't know if you looked at my exercise diary, but I run which burns alot as you know, since you are a runner too. We have 20 acres, hilly acres I should say, and I do alot of outside chores, from moving firewood to draggins stuff to the burn pile etc. Sometimes I struggle with getting all of my calories in on the weekend. then somedays I blow it. As you can see, even though I said I can't do corn, I do it occasionally with the tortilla chips. they are my fav! I do avoid all soy and wheat though.

Can't seem to figure out how to see someone's exercise diary since MFP switched to it's new format. The link used to be at the top right of the food diary, but can't seem to find it anymore... maybe it's right in front of me and I'm missing it? :huh: Wish we had 20 acres- I'm really struggling with the snow on the ground to find a safe place to run. I was almost hit by a car a few months back- WAY too close of a call (we're talking INCHES! :noway: ) so for better or worse that scared me silly. I'm scared to death of getting hit- especially with the roads being slippery and all. Also, I'm scared to step on something slippery and fall or twist and ankle or something. So, as much as I like winter, my running does not! :ohwell:

Oh, and I LOVE corn/tortilla chips too! Nachos are amazing!

nicolee516

Kelynn- If you scroll down to the bottom of the food diary, the exercise button is right below the water.

I can't tell you how many times I have almost gotten hit, running, and on my bike. I used to be scared, now I get indignant! A person just passed me today who I thought was going to clip me. AAAARRRRGGGGHHH! :grumble: :noway: I understand about the being afraid of falling, just take it slow and not worry about getting faster right now. That will come when the roads are safer.

iRun4wine

Kelynn- If you scroll down to the bottom of the food diary, the exercise button is right below the water.

I can't tell you how many times I have almost gotten hit, running, and on my bike. I used to be scared, now I get indignant! A person just passed me today who I thought was going to clip me. AAAARRRRGGGGHHH! :grumble: :noway: I understand about the being afraid of falling, just take it slow and not worry about getting faster right now. That will come when the roads are safer.

I gave the woman that almost hit me a piece of my mind, called her some names I can't repeat on here or I'll get kicked off, and flipped out like I've never flipped before... scared the CRAP out of me. It's made me much more cautious, but I'm hoping I can learn to truly relax on a run again since I'm pretty paranoid now!

iRun4wine

Do you guys know if it's possible for a food to not bother you, and then all of a sudden start bothering you? For example, I've always eaten oatmeal- almost every day- the pre-packaged kind. I know that most Celiac's don't eat it because it's very likely that it's contaminated during manufacturing but it never bothered me. Figuring that I don't yet know exactly what is going on (other than gluten seems to bother me and being gluten free has changed my life) I have continued to eat it. Being a creature of habit, I tend to eat pretty much the same foods. Twice in the last week though, instant oatmeal... the love of my life :laugh: has given me symptoms. Last week pretty badly... and by pretty bad I mean I had to roll the window down and hang out of it on the highway :sick: and today my stomach has just been SO bubbly and I'm gassy:sick: The last couple times this happened I woke up at 3am asking my boyfriend to take me to the ER because I was in so much pain. I couldn't talk or more it hurt so badly. Hoping that doesn't happen tonight. Just going to try to hit the hay and call it a night. I've read that symptoms can be different for everyone, and by now I just kind of *know* my symptoms and I can feel it... So, I guess that means no more instant oatmeal for me

I've tried the rolled oats (gluten free and regular) and they taste like cardboard to me and literally make me gag :frown: Anyone know of gluten free prepackaged instant oatmeal?

auntbliz

I've gotten GF packaged flavored instant oatmeal at Huckleberries here in WA state, so I know it's out there. I've only done it once this year, they had 4 flavors, and we liked them, we just didn't get anymore because they are kind of expensive. Sorry I don't know the brand name, but I thought I'd let you know it's out there so you can at least have some hope

slieber

Anyone care to share what a "typical" day looks like for them as far as meals go?

I'm trying to re-lose the weight I lost over the summer, but now I'm having to do it gluten-free. Of course, a lot of the GF substitute foods are high in calories, so I try not too eat too much of that- try to stick to more naturally gluten-free foods that normal people eat, too! :laugh:

I eat a lot of foods that I like, and I actually don't really mind eating pretty much the same stuff each day, but it'd be nice to hear what you guys are eating!

My typical day is:
Breakfast - egg white omelette, small potato (microwaved), apple
Lunch (at work) - homemade salad, small pull-top can of tuna in water, apple, pear
Snack (at work) - carrots, cucumber, apple
Dinner - chicken or beef, broccoli
For some snacks I use gluten-free bread (toasted) or bagel (also toasted), GF margarine, sugar-free jam, other fresh fruits, almonds, sunflower seeds, etc.
Treats: purely decadent coconut milk "ice cream" dessert, other GF products as my cravings demand - my achilles heel is that purely decadent product!!

I also can tolerate most of the Atkins protein bars. I looked them up on a site for celiac disease and most of them are gluten-free, although not dairy-free. The dairy amounts in them do not appear to bother me.

There are other foods I can eat, of course - anything fresh-cooked that is not rooted in gluten, as expected, but I'm too lazy to do anything elaborate. My family makes sure there are foods available when I go to holiday gatherings. Work...well, I just forego food at parties, generally.

iRun4wine

Thanks, auntbliz... not sure what Huckleberries is- we don't have that in CT, but maybe I can find some now that I know it exists!

And thanks for sharing your food, slieber... gave me some ideas. The gluten-free bagel sounds yummy!

mshay05

I eat nachos all the time! They are so yummy! I also eat a lot of chicken and veggies. I buy the tofu shirataki noodles and use them for spaghetti. They are pretty good and only 20 calories a serving!! I really like Mr. Kripsies rice crackers. I mainly eat clean most of the time though, I know that way I'm safe. :drinker: