Paleo / Gluten Free Diets

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  • TrailNurse
    TrailNurse Posts: 359 Member
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    I eat paleo and I actually think more clearly and I'm embarrassed to say I'm not as quick to anger when avoiding gluten.

    I have noticed this a lot lately. Now that I am 99% gluten free, an asteroid could hit the earth and it wouldn't bother me. Before I was ready to kick some *kitten* at the least little thing. Maybe it was the gluten?
  • CrazyTrackLady
    CrazyTrackLady Posts: 1,337 Member
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    It's Red Bridge. I tried it yesterday. It'll do, but it wasn't awesome. I think I'll just stick to wine and spirits, if I decide to have a drink. I've cut way back on drinking this month too.

    Eta: thanks! :)

    You're welcome! I have cut back on drinking too. I do enjoy an occasional vodka and cran or margarita. I've just never appreciated the taste of beer and wine is too "churchy" for me.
  • CrazyTrackLady
    CrazyTrackLady Posts: 1,337 Member
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    BTW, you look amazing! Congrats on your weight loss!
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
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    I am gluten free/low carb. For the first time in my life, including early childhood, I am not constantly craving sweets and fighting excess hunger or taking appetite suppressants to stop the cravings.

    The one thing I have found I will still binge on is peanuts and especially cashews. The reason I find this interesting is a video I watched last night that mentioned nuts, even roasted, can cause reactions in people far greater than things like potatoes and rice. I'd go into more detail but I'll have to watch the video about 50 more times with a scarf around my ears to keep my brains from leaking out before I really understand it. And even then maybe not.

    So here is the video that has me wondering about nuts if any of you chemistry geeks are interested. It also covers theories people base a Paleo diet on that they should not because either it's wrong or there just isn't enough information: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpfs6iT2nDw

    Anyway, I wonder if the foods I crave most are the foods my immune system reacts most negatively to? Or perhaps it's something else entirely. I want to learn more.
  • Bumbeen
    Bumbeen Posts: 263 Member
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    I spent 16 weeks on paleo before, and it works just as well as any low carb diet. I can't say I noticed a difference between gluten and gluten free, but I never really felt optimal in the gym on the program. I guess it's really not a great performance diet, but for weight loss, it may have its merits!

    Paleo is not necessarily low carb, most people use it for fat loss and therefore go low-carbish but you can really bump the carbs up with some sweet potatoes and white rice if you choose. I do Paleo+Dairy when bulking and eat a pint of ice cream daily, so that wouldn't be strictly paleo but you don't have to eat grains to get carbs in is all I'm saying.
  • LJA1968
    LJA1968 Posts: 516 Member
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    I have been pretty much GF since July 2012. I have Irritable Bowel and was tested for Celiac but it came back negative. I was bloated all the time and all my joints hurt so much. I made the decision to try it out on my own. It was almost an instant gratification. After 1 week I had no more joint pain, which meant that I could exercise and it didn't hurt. I wouldn't say GF is what caused me to lose my 34 lbs, but it most certainly helped, as I no longer crave all the baked goods and such. I wouldn't suggest going GF just to lose weight as it has been shown that it may not help everyone. If you have health issues that you think may be related to gluten, then I say go for it. On a side note, I still have the occasional bun or cookie, but maybe only once every 2 weeks instead of multiple times per day.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.
  • Bumbeen
    Bumbeen Posts: 263 Member
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    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.

    Have you tried eliminating it for a time and the reintroducing it?
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
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    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.

    this...if you don't have gluten issues why bother. Unless you want to go paleo which of course there is no grains whatsoever....gluten free you can still have corn, rice, spelt, quinoa...etc...paleo, zero grains. The point of paleo is eating foods only available to "caveman" basically...veggies, meat, fruit, nuts and berries....no grains, dairy or sugar, i've ben paleo for 3 months and its a lifestyle change, not a "diet"
  • AnneC77
    AnneC77 Posts: 284
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    I have been eating Primal now for 3 weeks give or take a day and I have found it really hard...but totally worth it. Seriously I was a carb monster, I loved baked, loved making homemade breads and my ultimate comfort food was a heaping pile of mashed potatoes and baked beans on top. Now I don't eat any grains, or white potatoes and to be honest, I don't really miss eating them. The most I miss is the convenience of processed foods but I can be lazy.

    I also had really bad IBS, I would be in pain and feel bloated nearly every day, but since going Primal I hardly ever feel bloated and can honestly say that the IBS is pretty much cleared up now. I would definitely say try it and see how you go!
  • Bumbeen
    Bumbeen Posts: 263 Member
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    I have been eating Primal now for 3 weeks give or take a day and I have found it really hard...but totally worth it. Seriously I was a carb monster, I loved baked, loved making homemade breads and my ultimate comfort food was a heaping pile of mashed potatoes and baked beans on top. Now I don't eat any grains, or white potatoes and to be honest, I don't really miss eating them. The most I miss is the convenience of processed foods but I can be lazy.

    I also had really bad IBS, I would be in pain and feel bloated nearly every day, but since going Primal I hardly ever feel bloated and can honestly say that the IBS is pretty much cleared up now. I would definitely say try it and see how you go!

    You should be able to eat irish potatoes at least, but I guess it might be good to eliminate it if it was a comfort food for you haha!
  • Mistyblu08
    Mistyblu08 Posts: 580 Member
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    I eat paleo and I actually think more clearly and I'm embarrassed to say I'm not as quick to anger when avoiding gluten.

    I have massive mood swings if I eat gluten. I have Celiacs, and if I even have the smallest bit I'm flipping out over every little thing. Its awful.

    hmmm that is weird to say the least-or should I say interesting:) I am gonna have to start correlating the two; never having thought my mood swings would have something to do with the gluten although I know I do feel MUCH better when I dont eat or at least cut it down to a couple times a week...think clearer, feel lighter, happier, stomach and intestinal issues take a break, no headaches and have energy :)
  • babymaddux
    babymaddux Posts: 209 Member
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    I eat paleo and I actually think more clearly and I'm embarrassed to say I'm not as quick to anger when avoiding gluten.

    I have massive mood swings if I eat gluten. I have Celiacs, and if I even have the smallest bit I'm flipping out over every little thing. Its awful.


    Wow - this is the first I've heard of mood swings on gluten! And I thought I was the only one! Ever since I went off of gluten, I have had virtually NO PMS. And trust me, the PMS I had was so profoundly bad that I'd be a raging lunatic one moment, a crying nut job the next. I'd even catch myself laughing WHILE crying.

    I thought it was all in my head -- but sure enough, I haven't had bad PMS in two years -- and I'm on the cusp of menopause.

    Thanks for sharing, I don't feel so crazy anymore!

    I'm actually three weeks into a GF trial to see if gluten affects my moods as well. I have PMDD, aka PMS on crack. I'm in the worst week of the PMDD cycle right now and I feel great. It wasn't nearly as hard to avoid the gluten as I thought it would be (since I'm such a carb wh0re). I've just been making smarter choices. I feel great, not bloaty, and I've been better able to stick to my calorie range. I've also lost almost 3 lbs in three weeks.

    I think this may be a permanent change for me. I am a beer lover though, so I may cheat once in a while and I'm not too worried about cross contamination as I don't have celiac or a sensitivity (that I know of), but the drastic reduction in my gluten consumption has definitely been positive for me. Sorry for crazy run-on sentence.

    now that you mention it, i'm just coming to the end of my first pms zone since going properly primal (i tested the waters before xmas, knowing that i'd cave as i had quality streets waiting for my xmas treat) and i've been fine! i'm usually ready to kill anyone who even looks my way lol. i remember my mother tried an intolerance diet when i was in my teens, which was pretty much a gluten free one, and she said the same thing.
    this way of eating is honestly much easier for me, even if it's not quite as cheap. i can taste foods, not chemicals. it may sound weird, but i think i eat with my nose. if it smells bad, i really struggle to put it into my mouth. what i'm cooking smells great, tastes great, and i'm not craving sugar at all :)
  • pj300a
    pj300a Posts: 4 Member
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    I've been paleo since the end of August. Like others have said, it is a lifestyle choice for me. Also as others have said, I don't have a diagnosed gluten issue, but feel a million times better when I avoid gluten. I've been tracking my weight since January 1 2013 on MFP, so my ticker at the bottom doesn't show how much I lost since going paleo, but just comparing the handful of days I take off of paleo for this reason or that, I see another plus for paleo. It makes it so much easier to keep your caloric intake low. With paleo, I sometime have to struggle just to get up to 1200 calories, where as yesterday, when my wife brought me lunch at work, it shot straight up to 1200 calories in one meal. That's a merit of Paleo I don't think gets enough credit. It's also useful in that you don't have to put as much thought into what you are eating at a restaurant and such. I can move through a buffet line real quick, and get all good things, while my youth minister takes his time calculating his points on his phone. I really love my paleo lifestyle!
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.

    Have you tried eliminating it for a time and the reintroducing it?

    No, why would I do such a thing?
  • caribougal
    caribougal Posts: 865 Member
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    Lots of people report a link between their diet, particularly gluten, and depression. Eliminate gluten, reduce depression and other brain-related issues. Lots of anectodal stuff about paleo, GAPS diets and kids with ADD/ADHD/autism. Also data starting to show up about low-carb diets and parkinsons/alzheimer's.

    But... for me... I've been eating Primal for 7 months. Unfortunately, I'm not seeing improvement in my issues with depression or PMS mood swings. I wish I could say changing my diet and exercise was a cure-all for that, but for me... not so much.
  • Bumbeen
    Bumbeen Posts: 263 Member
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    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.

    Have you tried eliminating it for a time and the reintroducing it?

    No, why would I do such a thing?

    Because of all the posters here saying they have had good experience by eliminating it.

    I used to have some pretty bad road rage. I went 11 months without eating any grains except white rice and occasionally corn. For my birthday I had hotdogs and doughnuts, the next morning, I was driving like an *kitten* and I was getting pissed off. It really surprised me that there would be some kind of mental benefit to avoiding wheat. You should maybe try :)
  • Bumbeen
    Bumbeen Posts: 263 Member
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    Lots of people report a link between their diet, particularly gluten, and depression. Eliminate gluten, reduce depression and other brain-related issues. Lots of anectodal stuff about paleo, GAPS diets and kids with ADD/ADHD/autism. Also data starting to show up about low-carb diets and parkinsons/alzheimer's.

    But... for me... I've been eating Primal for 7 months. Unfortunately, I'm not seeing improvement in my issues with depression or PMS mood swings. I wish I could say changing my diet and exercise was a cure-all for that, but for me... not so much.

    reintroduce wheat and see if it gets worse?
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.

    Have you tried eliminating it for a time and the reintroducing it?

    No, why would I do such a thing?

    Because of all the posters here saying they have had good experience by eliminating it.

    I used to have some pretty bad road rage. I went 11 months without eating any grains except white rice and occasionally corn. For my birthday I had hotdogs and doughnuts, the next morning, I was driving like an *kitten* and I was getting pissed off. It really surprised me that there would be some kind of mental benefit to avoiding wheat. You should maybe try :)

    The reason I have found success is because I have virtually never tried any of these random bulsh*t things.
  • caribougal
    caribougal Posts: 865 Member
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    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.

    Have you tried eliminating it for a time and the reintroducing it?

    No, why would I do such a thing?

    It's an N=1 experiment for yourself. I never thought I had gluten issues, and I didn't suffer from any of the common gluten-related ailments like IBS, joint pain, gall-bladder issues, etc. My motivation to eliminate gluten at first was because I wanted to cut out all the stuff I commonly overate... I personally do better with a diet that is more black and white than shades of moderation gray.

    Anyway, I was shocked after eliminating gluten to find that when I reintroduced it, I had such a strong reaction to it. Like... in the bathroom for 2 days kind of reaction. I realized that while eating gluten, I probably was always fighting a low-level of gut irritation. When I eliminated it for several months and then reintroduced it, my gut rebelled (or actually, I probably had an onslaught of antibodies race to address those gliadins, which caused inflammation and gastric distress).

    Since then, I've learned that I can eat small amounts of gluten without the severe reaction I got at first. I'm fortunate that I don't have to worry about contamination like Celiac-sufferers do, but it has made me think hard about how much I really need/want to have gluten in my life. Is that piece of cake worth it? Is that bread worth it? Is that slice of pizza worth it? Sometimes, in fact, the answer is yes. But most times, it's not. Now that I did my little N=1 experiment, I'm more educated about how my body reacts to things.

    Here's another example. Since eating Primal (Paleo + small amounts of dairy), I have discovered that I have a reaction to oils used in restaurants. Probably canola oil, although I'm not 100% sure. But what I know is that I used to get pretty significant chest congestion after eating fast food. Within 5 minutes of finishing a fast food meal, virtually any meal (I never ordered fast food salads), I had a loose, productive cough. It would last for about 30-40 minutes, and go away. I wasn't sure what caused it, but it only ever happened at fast food places. Now that I've eliminated not only fast food, but have eliminated almost anything made with canola or seed oils, I have learned that I now have that congested reaction any time I eat something cooked with oils in any kind of restaurant. I never have that reaction with anything I cook at home with coconut, avocado, or olive oil... only at restaurants where I can't control the type of oils they use. Even nice restaurants. So... not earth shattering, but I wouldn't have known that about myself if I hadn't taken the time to try an elimination protocol.

    Anyways... just my input on WHY it's interesting to do an elimination diet (which is essentially what strict Paleo is) every once in a while... you learn about how your body reacts to foods in ways that you might not have noticed before. If nothing happens when you reintroduce gluten, or dairy, or whatever... then great. You've learned something.

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