I am going Gluten Free, any comments suggestions

FeebRyan

Aren't bananas a 'no no' for gluten free?

Why? There is no gluten in a banana, gluten comes from wheat and grains and cereals and the processing of them. Not from plantin and fruits or nuts.

ladytinkerbell99

Honestly, unless you have a gluten intolerance or suffer from Celiacs, going gluten free really won't do much for you. On the other hand, some people are carb sensitive and reducing carbs helps them lose weight or keep their weight in check. That is different than going gluten free. By confusing the two, I feel it diminishes the support people with actual gluten intolerance/Celiacs receive, as in the most extreme cases, even a speck of gluten can make them ill. That is different than you wanting to cut carbs to lose weight.

^ There is a lot important information in this comment. :flowerforyou:
She knows what she is talking about on this subject,

MrsHappy

There's suspicion that gluten plays a role in psychological or behavioral issues as well. I know anectdotally, people eating paleo/primal say they experience less depression, and see less ADHD or ADD issues with kids, but that may be as much from eliminating sugars and additives as from eliminating gluten.

I appreciate your post, and I hear you on folks with Celiac disease and other gluten sensitivities. I'm pulling this one comment out, not to pick on you or the comment, but rather to go back to my original point. In my opinion, it's far too simple to equate a gluten free diet and the experience of "less depression." It's very hard to measure something like that, and say with any certainty the two are correlated. I feel like people who claim gluten free diets changed their psyches, or made them feel better, are implicitly stating that gluten is the reason for why they were depressed or "felt bad" in the first place. It's almost like saying "I don't have a cell phone or a brain tumor, so cell phones cause brain tumors". Everybody understimates the powers of the mind, and honestly? I think people who go gluten free as a means of "feeling better" or limiting ADD or whatever are making themselves believe the two are interrelated. But then again, what do I know? :-) I just cringe when I read about fad diets.

I totally hear you. Especially with depression or behavior, it's hard to pin it on any one thing. If it were easy, we'd all be happy little calm campers. I personally haven't really seen a change in depression. I don't suffer terribly, but I teeter on the edge a few days every month. I'm not sure at all what triggers it. And no, it's not TOM. I also haven't seen a change in my energy levels, but what I do notice is that my blood sugar has stabilized. I'm sure that has nothing to do with gluten and everything to do with lowering my carbs and only eating sugar from fruits and veggies (and the occasional bite of dark chocolate). I learned a lot about my blood sugar swings when I had gestational diabetes and was testing myself before and after every meal. I learned which foods spiked my blood sugar and kept it high, and which foods didn't. Of course, I had a malfunctioning pancreas at the time which I don't have now, but it really taught me to pay attention to how I felt before and after eating certain foods. Now that I have slain that sugar dragon and driven him from my life, I no longer have the cravings, the shakes if I go a few hours without eating, or the obsessive thinking about being "staaarved". I can get hungry, without getting shaky or crazy. And eat a filling meal of protein + veg + fat and be happy for hours.

On the other hand, there are LOTs of people who eliminate gluten and processed foods from their kids' diets, and see dramatic changes in behavior. Again, I'm not sure if that's the gluten, or if it's more the sugar and/or chemical additives from processed foods. I'm trying to get my kids to eat less crappy carbs and more healthy foods, but it's hard to be successful when hubby brings home bite-size brownies, cookies, candy, etc. I have no problem resisting, but the kids can't resist and don't want to. I would love to run an experiment and eliminate the processed sugary stuff from my kids' diets for 2 weeks and see if we have less tantrums. With a 4 and 3 year old... that sure would be nice. I'll keep dreaming.

We did!! All processed foods, food dyes etc. And there was a huge change in attitude, especially from my 10 year old. We have some things back in the house now,but not much. We very very rarely buy things like brownies, cookies etc. Very few fits in our house.

We started our 10year old on a GF diet today too, I have Celiacs and she has symptoms. Worth a try for a bit to see if it helps her or not.

My DS has Autism, his main issues being behaviour and we went Gluten Free/Caesin Free last year. The first 3 days were horrible, I can still remember them it was like what I imagine a junkie withdrawing to be like. Day 4 he woke up, different child - perfect eye contact, great interaction, good behaviour and is now mainstream school, speech caught up, great social skills - I could go on for hours about the difference. We had the coelic test done with GP and it came back neg. but we had already seen the difference in this diet. The odd time at a party/outing where is gets gluten by accident - we all suffer big time the following day till it gets outof his system. Since doing this diet with DS the whole family are eating better also and have alot more energy. I would recommend anyone if they are thinking about it to try it for a month - see does it make a difference, nothing to lose really

jllove871

Thank you for your encouragement.
I am going gluten free because I have hypothyroidism and IBS which I have read in multiple articles are both effected by glutens negatively. Also its a lifestyle change, becoming very aware of everything I am putting into my body, I am in this fitnness mode for the long haul.

jllove871

I have numbness in my left hand pinky and index fingers, I wonder if gluten was causing it. Hmm, need to ask doc about that issue.

jllove871

The tricky part is cutting ALL Gluten out. I mean, to go completely Gluten-Free, you have to read every label. Some foods are processed in factories that are not dedicated Gluten-Free and can carry Gluten by proxy.

I am slso finding that gluten isnt always listed, you,d think that FDA would insist this be labelled because of celliac disease and gluten intolerance. I google a lot of consumables if not labelled, so this is a little bit of work. Also I have cheated twice, but its a change, a process so I am not expecting overnight success or results.

jllove871

I have read several articles, this is just the one that made me finally do it. I have been trying gluten free since I posted this and well I can say feel better but that could just be my mind, :happy: I have noticed a change in digestive, expelling mostly that I am not happy with, my guess is body will need time to adjust. I plan to continue on with this until it becomes habit, wether it helps thyroidism or not, we will find out when I test! As far as IBS actually seems to be constricting that, so I am hoping this is only a short adjustment period. Either way getting rid of the glue cant be bad. In the end I really just hope to feel better about the choices and foods I put in my body.

wannabeskinny27

Yeah I am cutting all bread, pasta, rice and potatoes out of my diet and i am feeling fablous (i have ibs)

jllove871

Totally agree. And respectfully disagree with the OP who posted that it can cause problems. Going gluten free will not hurt you in any way unless you start making poor choices about the other foods you eat.

I work in healthcare, and alllllll the doctors I work with DO NOT advise going gluten free completely if you do not have a gluten intolerance or illness which you should not have gluten

Cindy, Maybe you could do me a favor? Could you ask any of the doctors if there really is a correlation between hypothyroidism and IBS. I have read several articles , but I am not naive enough to believe just because it is on the web or in print its the absolute truth. I would really appreciate this, if you could ask, as I am still searching for a doctor in new state and it would give me a little peace of mind.

pa_jorg

I just started reading the book Wheat Belly. You may want to take a look at it. Avoiding wheat and gluten is one thing, but I wouldn't advise eating processed foods with a 'gluten-free' label. If you do you're just subbing in one vice for another.

momtokgo

There's suspicion that gluten plays a role in psychological or behavioral issues as well. I know anectdotally, people eating paleo/primal say they experience less depression, and see less ADHD or ADD issues with kids, but that may be as much from eliminating sugars and additives as from eliminating gluten.

I appreciate your post, and I hear you on folks with Celiac disease and other gluten sensitivities. I'm pulling this one comment out, not to pick on you or the comment, but rather to go back to my original point. In my opinion, it's far too simple to equate a gluten free diet and the experience of "less depression." It's very hard to measure something like that, and say with any certainty the two are correlated. I feel like people who claim gluten free diets changed their psyches, or made them feel better, are implicitly stating that gluten is the reason for why they were depressed or "felt bad" in the first place. It's almost like saying "I don't have a cell phone or a brain tumor, so cell phones cause brain tumors". Everybody understimates the powers of the mind, and honestly? I think people who go gluten free as a means of "feeling better" or limiting ADD or whatever are making themselves believe the two are interrelated. But then again, what do I know? :-) I just cringe when I read about fad diets.

I totally hear you. Especially with depression or behavior, it's hard to pin it on any one thing. If it were easy, we'd all be happy little calm campers. I personally haven't really seen a change in depression. I don't suffer terribly, but I teeter on the edge a few days every month. I'm not sure at all what triggers it. And no, it's not TOM. I also haven't seen a change in my energy levels, but what I do notice is that my blood sugar has stabilized. I'm sure that has nothing to do with gluten and everything to do with lowering my carbs and only eating sugar from fruits and veggies (and the occasional bite of dark chocolate). I learned a lot about my blood sugar swings when I had gestational diabetes and was testing myself before and after every meal. I learned which foods spiked my blood sugar and kept it high, and which foods didn't. Of course, I had a malfunctioning pancreas at the time which I don't have now, but it really taught me to pay attention to how I felt before and after eating certain foods. Now that I have slain that sugar dragon and driven him from my life, I no longer have the cravings, the shakes if I go a few hours without eating, or the obsessive thinking about being "staaarved". I can get hungry, without getting shaky or crazy. And eat a filling meal of protein + veg + fat and be happy for hours.

On the other hand, there are LOTs of people who eliminate gluten and processed foods from their kids' diets, and see dramatic changes in behavior. Again, I'm not sure if that's the gluten, or if it's more the sugar and/or chemical additives from processed foods. I'm trying to get my kids to eat less crappy carbs and more healthy foods, but it's hard to be successful when hubby brings home bite-size brownies, cookies, candy, etc. I have no problem resisting, but the kids can't resist and don't want to. I would love to run an experiment and eliminate the processed sugary stuff from my kids' diets for 2 weeks and see if we have less tantrums. With a 4 and 3 year old... that sure would be nice. I'll keep dreaming.

We did!! All processed foods, food dyes etc. And there was a huge change in attitude, especially from my 10 year old. We have some things back in the house now,but not much. We very very rarely buy things like brownies, cookies etc. Very few fits in our house.

We started our 10year old on a GF diet today too, I have Celiacs and she has symptoms. Worth a try for a bit to see if it helps her or not.

My DS has Autism, his main issues being behaviour and we went Gluten Free/Caesin Free last year. The first 3 days were horrible, I can still remember them it was like what I imagine a junkie withdrawing to be like. Day 4 he woke up, different child - perfect eye contact, great interaction, good behaviour and is now mainstream school, speech caught up, great social skills - I could go on for hours about the difference. We had the coelic test done with GP and it came back neg. but we had already seen the difference in this diet. The odd time at a party/outing where is gets gluten by accident - we all suffer big time the following day till it gets outof his system. Since doing this diet with DS the whole family are eating better also and have alot more energy. I would recommend anyone if they are thinking about it to try it for a month - see does it make a difference, nothing to lose really

Thats amazing!! My aunt also put her family on a grain free diet, not just gluten free, to try and help with her sons Aspergers. I don't know if it made a difference or not, she hasn't mentioned.

karenwill2

going gluten free is easy. You can easily eat gluten free everywhere. I do it everyday. Here is how. Stick with veggies, fruits and lean meats. No processed foods of any kind. It will not hurt ANYONE to eat this way. I don't see how it is a struggle to stay GF as I have been for almost 2 yrs with no issues. Eat real food, not crap and you will be fine. Read the labels on salad dressing.But as long as you stay with the veggies, fruits and meat, you are GTG.

jllove871

I don't see how it could hurt to try. If you've got some extra money to spare, you could get tested for celiac disease first. I think if you have a diagnosis, you can get government assistance for gluten free foods. Used to be that way at least.

My #1 suggestion for going gluten free: Don't get hung up on buying the gluten free versions of snack foods. It's costly and those foods almost always higher calorie that the regular versions. Stick with fruits and vegetables, meats, dairy, nuts, rice, and rice pasta.

Excellent advice! This is pretty much what I have been doing. Fresh is best and you don't have to worry about what is being added.

jllove871

No offensive to the OP... just my view on the situation of "gluten free" foods:

I hate all these stupid articles about how bad carbs are.... whether you're a nutritionist, dietitian, whatever.. now, if an article was written by someone with a PH.D. in molecular biology that has studied the effects of carbs and tumor necrosis factors, I would believe it.

Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't try it... I'm just saying, don't believe every single thing that you read.

Try it for 30 days.. if you feel better... good. If not, fine. Unless you have a chronic illness... there is really not a need to cut out gluten. I only say this because I have Crohn's disease and my gut hates EVERYTHING.

My only suggestion: if you want to eliminate gluten, eliminate all other grains, sugars, and starches (including corn, etc..) as well. Do not eliminate carbs all together. Fruits, honey, coconuts = good.

Eat healthy, live healthy.

I agree with you, especially eat healthy, live healthy. I think this post went a crazy in some aspects. I guess I should have clarified my reasons and the the bulk of my diet was planned to be freshh first and foremost, less package products and experimenting with gluten free packages after checking labels of course for the other junk ie.. calories, sugars and sodium. I would never jump into a diet withou really exploring any more than I would gobble down dangerous diet pills. This is my body and I want to treat it right, maybe then it will treat me right when I am much older!

magj0y

Just keep in mind that just because a product says "gluten free" on the package doesn't make it healthy!

If it makes -you- feel physically better, go for it. There are lots of great dishes out there that are gluten free.

jllove871

After reading through all the posts I am left with just a few thoughts and slightly irritated. Lets start first with I should of labelled this post:
" I am going Gluten MODERATE because I care for my body have some issues that I am aware of and believe gluten may effect and no I am not self diagnosing myself as celiac or gluten intolerant and Please, please please be respectful and courteous of each other views in all replies"
Many of the responses were helpful, but some were just off the chart, confusing or just plain mean. This is a supportive community, we should all post with a grain of decency! Some of the replies here tend to make people who are seriously looking for views, advice and support afraid to post.

Suzyqall72

My son has celiac disease, so going gluten free is a must for him. There are a lot of gluten free products at health food stores or Whole Food Markets. I see mixes for breads, cake mixes, etc. You can find gluten free bread there and frozen products like waffles. My son doesn't like sweets so that's not a problem for him. He does like grilled cheese, so I learned to make gluten free bread and he is happy with it.

There are products with gluten in them that you wouldn't expect, such as barbecue sauce, BBq chips, some shredded cheese, and some french fries or grilled chicken. You probably don't have to be that vigilant with it, but good luck.

Suzyqall72

My son has Celiac. Anyone with a first degree relative (parent/sibling or child) should be tested for it. My tTg numbers did not indicate Celiac, but I do have one of the 2 genes. I went GF with my son and determined I am gluten intolerant. Who knew that cutting out gluten would prevent kidney stones.

I am also the person who GAINED 30 pounds after going GF. I am proof that not everyone looses weight while GF. I am working my way to loose those 30 and more.

You are absolutely right. If you are gluten sensitive, you might gain some weight after going gluten free because your intestines are working better. Also, gluten free products may be as caloric as non gluten free.

NeverGivesUp

I am gluten free because I know I have a problem with it. It makes me extremely tired, I feel uncomfortable when I eat it, and I am extremely addicted and could never be fully successful at weight loss unless it was gone completely out of my life. It has been 2 years now and I am not looking back. I don't need a diagnosis to know I have a problem with it, I just listen to my own body. I see it as poison actually. I cannot begin to discuss how it makes others feel, I just know for me it makes me ill. I think this is so individual and if you want to try this lifestyle give it a go and see how you feel, then go for it. But that does mean looking at ingredients and paying very very close attention at what you put in your mouth. It also means that you take out almost all processed foods out of your diet and live a healthier lifestyle. Gluten is in many sauces, soups, soy sauce etc etc. It will make it very difficult to go to restaurants unless you prepare in advance. You cannot claim you are gluten free unless you truly are, same with being vegetarian etc etc. Good luck. It is a great step to take towards your health.

NeverGivesUp

oh and I rarely use any gluten free flour or bread, I went almost completely natural clean eating after becoming gluten free.