How will I know?

stephanieb72

Please don't get mad that I didn't search through pages of information I just need to know.... how hard is it to eliminate gluten? I am not positive I am sensitive to it but I think I am. I would like to remove it from my diet to see if I can tell a difference.
How long does it take to see the benefits of being gluten free? Even if I am not allergic to gluten would I still notice a difference?
This is all new to me so any information would be greatly appreciated :flowerforyou:

Cheeta_HH

I have only been gluten free since September 30. I have not been officially diagnosed with Celiac or any gluten sensitivity, but also suspected it.

I feel like it is hard to tell if there are really changes, or if I'm just seeing what I expected to! I do feel better and have more energy.

I'm not finding it as difficult as I thought it would be, so I am sticking with it. I love bread and desserts, but I feel like I've been able to find other satisfying options.

I am anemic and my doctor suggested coming back soon to see if my iron levels have improved.

Good luck!
Feel free to add me as a friend. I'm still very new at it and trying to figure it out too!

Mokey41

It's not hard, just eliminate anything with wheat, rye, barley and often oats. To be completely gluten free you really need to study up on food additives unless you go really clean and eat no processed foods. Being gluten free isn't something you do for fun, it's a lot of extra work and attention to detail.

http://www.celiac.com/articles/182/1/Unsafe-Gluten-Free-Food-List-Unsafe-Ingredients/Page1.html

ETA: It takes at least 3 weeks for your gut to clear and start to rejuvenate if you have an actual celiac issue and eating even a crumb again can start the whole process over.

Erin1712

I have celiac dissease and was just diagnosed this July ad since have had my 3 kids diagnosed as well. I didnt notice changes so much when I went off gluten but when I was contaminated with it I did! Now I can tell if I have been contaminated just by how my body is reacting. The biggest hidden gluten surprise was how it is hotdogs, sausages, hamburgers and anything else you don't make from scratch. My kids and I love a cracker called Rice Thins and they are gluten fee BUT the No Name brand has gluten but the Presidents Choice ones don't. You have to read the label EVERY TIME! Also wheat flour is added to most Campbell's soups and alot of other things like soy sauce and teriyaki sauce both contain gluten.

And 1/70th of a peice of bread is enough gluten to cause a reaction. That is about 1/4 of the average crouton or less.

And lastly even if you don't have an allergy to gluten you will still feel the benefits of going gluten free. My husband is mostly gluten free and his health has been getting better as well and if he over indulges with gluten his stomach lets him know it is not happy and he can even be ill for days!

pdworkman

Sounds like hubby is sensitive to gluten as well. He may be Celiac and has just never figured it out. Celiac disease and allergy are not the same thing, and Celiac disease will not show up on an allergy test.

We went gluten-free for my son (whole household had to be gluten-free, because with his impulsivity and behaviour issues, the only way to keep him away from gluten is if the whole house was gluten-free), with none of the rest of us realizing that we had gluten issues (DS is adopted, so he didn't get it from either one of us.) But I discovered I was sensitive (4th generation celiac, since my dad did some family history research) and so is my hubby. With the health problems that he brother and sisters have, I am sure most of them are probably celiac too. And his brother's daughter (who is also adopted) has noticed that she really reacts to gluten, and her daughter has tested positive for gluten antibodies.

Just because you don't think you have gluten sensitivity or Celiac, that doesn't mean you don't. And you don't need to have the classic symptoms. You might be like me and have things like chronic nosebleeds, unexplained infertility, mood disorder, or other mysterious health problems that no one ever connected to gluten.

And lastly even if you don't have an allergy to gluten you will still feel the benefits of going gluten free. My husband is mostly gluten free and his health has been getting better as well and if he over indulges with gluten his stomach lets him know it is not happy and he can even be ill for days!