Celiac Disease/gluten intolerance help
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http://www.scdiet.org/
http://www.scdiet.org/1about/scdwhatis.html
The book "Breaking the Vicious Cycle (through intestinal health), by Elaine Gottschall, B.A., M.Sc.
http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/p/beginners-guide/
My profile picture (just changed it back again) is of the greatest book ever, especially if you have Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Chronic Diarrhea, Diverticulitis, Celiac Disease, Cystic Fibrosis....pretty much any inflammatory bowel disease.
The Book: 'Breaking The Viscious Cycle (intestinal health through diet)'. The Author: Elaine Gottschall B.A., M.Sc.
The name of the diet is SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet).
After 36 years of having Crohn's disease I stumbled across this diet and began following it (started diet two years ago as of this April 19). That was 36 years with six operatiions because of the disease plus one operation to fix a hernia caused by getting pregnant too soon after the last operation
. 36 years of knowing where every single toilet was in every single place I managed to go out to. 36 years of a painful gut and learning how to make all kinds of excuses for not doing things with my friends and still keep my dignity intact. 36 years of only feeling safe if no further away from a toilet than 50 seconds. 36 years of having some very demoralizing "bathroom" accidents, or more clearly, not being able to reach the bathroom in time.
Well since I started this diet, I am now pretty much normal in the bathroom department, as long as I don't eat any illegal stuff.
Not sure I can explain the way the diet is supposed to work, but according to Elaine Gottscall, our bowels contain a multitude of bacteria and in the cases of all these diseases above, there is an overabundance of the wrong type of bacteria (which can even be caused from something as simple as antibiotics, given to you to fix up something else). In short, with some foods (complex starches/sugars-polysacharides/disacharides) our body needs help to digest these foods, which means that they will sit in your gut until the help arrives and in the meantime are feeding the piggy little bad bacteria, which causes more problems in your gut, and it all ends up a vicious cycle of feeding these guys which cause harm to the intestinal lining etc. Therefore, the idea is that, as in the SCDiet, if you eat only simple starches/sugars (monosacharides), these simple starches/sugars don't have to wait around in your gut for help to digest them and get used up immediately by your body, thus, starving all those nasty little bad bacteria to death and allow your intestinal tract some time and space to heal and grow the good bacteria.
Now I am not saying this diet is easy, but you do get used to the work of preparing things once you are in a routine, and there are things (if you allow yourself to accept them) than can replace those things that you really crave that are not allowed on the diet. I've actually managed to get by on about $200 a month, even at home in Canada. In hind site, I actually found all that processed food more expensive than the fresh/frozen stuff. But I won't try to explain the diet illegal/legal food here, going to the SCDiet site would be much, much more enlightening, especially if you read the testimonials after you read a little bit about the diet. A lot of the testimonials said they were gluten intolerant/celiac disease and were not helped on other diets, but did find relief with the SCD diet. I never thought after 36 years of "peeing through my *kitten*" (sorry, I know that's disgusting, but in the past it was true, and the most accurate way to describe), with blood often included, that normal bathroom ventures would ever be possible for me, as I already mentioned, I don't have that problem anymore, I have found a miracle...healthy REAL food!".
If nothing else, since you haven't got the money to go spend on the book unless you are sure, try giving five (5) days out of your whole life and do the 'beginner's guide diet" (third site down, at the top). If you follow it completely for that five days, you will know if this diet is going to help.... but as I said, if you try those five days, you have to be absolutely true to the diet. Imagine only five days out of your life and you can stuff your face (don't try to calorie count). When I did those five days (and as a lot of other testimonials mentioned) I lost a good deal of weight and I ate like a pig. That is not always the case with this diet though, especially once your gut begins to heal and absorb properly, then you can put on weight unless you watch your intake (just like any way of eating).
Another thing, I felt so much better. I had gotten so used to the constant pain and not feeling 100% that I didn't even notice that I had been feeling crappy all those years until I was on this diet and began to feel fantastic. And the elation of not feeling tied to a toilet bowl is... is.. well its so wonderful I cannot describe it).
Please read the SCD site, this site is very informative and gives a lot of other places to check out as well, including a lot of sites to find recipes for gluten free and SCD. And as mentioned in the some of the posts above, you would be very surprised to find what processed foods contain some undisclosed wheat products, including powdered spices, like garlic or onion powder, it is very enlightening to find out what the companies don't legally have to list on their products in the ingredients section.
And if you have any questions I can help with, please let me know, I would be thrilled if I can help, I can even give a couple of recipes, that I have for bread made from nut flour that works quite well (haven't figured the calories yet tho). And if you make to soup in the beginner's diet, please note that is is a very large pot of soup and I have figured that out and I know that it runs between 62 - 100 cals per 8oz cup, depending on the amount of water. But for those five days, don't calorie count!!0 -
You shouldn't be worried about cross contamination until you know how severe this is. Only if you have severe celiac disease would this happen - and if that is the case you would have SEVERE digestive problems and dropping weight like it was nothing.
I would just do your best with what you can do. Stick to things that are naturally gluten free as opposed to things that are gluten substitutes.
Rice, legumes, beans, veggies, millet, quinoa are all reletively inexpensive especially if you can get them in bulk
I'm just curious - why do you use egg substitute? - not that I can think of anything particularly wrong with doing it - i'm just curious its always just weirded me out... lol
I use egg sub so the lower cholesterol content. High cholesterol runs in my family (my father has had 2 heart surgeries and he's not even 60 yet), so I do everything I can to keep mine at a respectable level. Since doctors and scientists can't seem to settle on whether the cholesterol in eggs is healthy or not, I just stay away from it. I don't really enjoy eggs all that much either way, but I make myself eat the egg sub because it is a tolerable and healthy protein source.0 -
You should really get tested for it...there are many diseases that are very similar and cutting out gluten wrongly can have bad effects....
Even a simple blood test will give you a better idea of if you are or not
I would seriously suggest being tested before diagnosing yourself and jumping to conclusions 0 -
You shouldn't be worried about cross contamination until you know how severe this is. Only if you have severe celiac disease would this happen - and if that is the case you would have SEVERE digestive problems and dropping weight like it was nothing.
I would just do your best with what you can do. Stick to things that are naturally gluten free as opposed to things that are gluten substitutes.
Rice, legumes, beans, veggies, millet, quinoa are all reletively inexpensive especially if you can get them in bulk
I'm just curious - why do you use egg substitute? - not that I can think of anything particularly wrong with doing it - i'm just curious its always just weirded me out... lol
Hello, first post. Just wanted to point out that I have Celiac disease. It is severe. I also have a lot of weight to lose. It is a myth that people with Celiac disease are skinny as rails. Your body is not receiving any real nutrition from the food you eat while eating gluten. So if your body goes into starvation mode, you will stay heavy. Also, it has been proven that people who are GF do take in more calories daily. Hope that helps. Good luck to you.0 -
You should really get tested for it...there are many diseases that are very similar and cutting out gluten wrongly can have bad effects....
Even a simple blood test will give you a better idea of if you are or not
I would seriously suggest being tested before diagnosing yourself and jumping to conclusions
Seriously.
'I went on WebMD and a bunch of websites and I have all the symptoms of XXX'....no, just go to a doctor. Also, if people keep lumping Celiac Disease in with gluten intolerance, I am going to have an aneurism. That's like saying 'My blood sugar got a little high after that birthday cake, so I probably have diabetes.' STAHP. It's not the same thing.0 -
You should really get tested for it...there are many diseases that are very similar and cutting out gluten wrongly can have bad effects....
Even a simple blood test will give you a better idea of if you are or not
I would seriously suggest being tested before diagnosing yourself and jumping to conclusions
^^ this. If you cut out gluten, then go get a blood test, your results may not be accurate. Get some bloodwork done first, then possibly try making changes but definitely don't do it before seeing your doctor.0 -
I've had stomach problems for years!! And the doctors have performed every test under the sun to determine what was wrong. They couldn't find a darn thing wrong. So I decided to go gluten free. Best decision I ever made, so I'm probably just intolerant or over sensitive to gluten. I agree with everyone that the gluten free products can be expensive. However, invest in a gluten free cookbook. Right now I use Elizabeth Hasselbeck (sp?) cookbook. She has celiac and she has some great recipes. Her main point: Buy the GF flour's at the store, they're expensive but in the long run they cost less than buying the pre-made GF products. Her baking recipes are to die for! Right now I have the following GF products in my cupboard:
Coconut flour
Garbanzo Bean Flour
Brown Rice Flour
Millet Flour
Potato Starch
Tapioca Starch
Xanthum Gum
Quinoa (haven't used it yet, not sure if I'll like it lol)
All of these, when made in certain combinations, can make pretty much anything you desire: pizza crust, cookies, bread, muffins etc
As far as rice goes I eat either Brown or Jasmine rice. Jasmine rice has a little lower calorie count but still has those pesky carbs in them. Also, I love edamame, it's my favorite snack now. Has tons of protein and really fills you up. Add me as a friend if you have any more questions! Good luck!0 -
I am GF and my food diary is open if you want ideas. Ido not rely on too many gluten substituted products, with the exception on the following that are worth the money to me:
Gluten free flour mix (made from recipe of 6 different flours and starches purchased online. Initial investment is around $25, but it lasts forever. I use it in place of flour in most recipes, but found it does not work as well in baked goods that contain yeast. PM me if you want the recipe).
Blue Diamond almond rice crackers ($2/box, so not much different than triscuits or Wheat Thins)
Ancient Harvest Quinoa spaghetti (comparatively expensive, but I only eat it once or twice a month)
Gluten free soy sauce (Less than $1 more per bottle...lasts long)
Yogurt based gluten free salad dressings such as Lighthouse
Good gluten free cookies (always worth the slurge!)
I cook alot to avoid eating unnecessary gluten in restaurants, so much of what you see in my diary is recipes. If I do eat out, I try to pick GF options with the knowledge that I may be eating a little bit, but I am not Celiacs, so it tends to have a cummulative effect on me. I eat lots of quinoa, sweet potatoes, rissotto, rice, etc, which are all naturally GF. PM if you want any recipes.0 -
There is an awesome book called Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall.Which helps heal the gut. It is a diet called the The Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I had my son The Specific Carbohydrate Diet for a year and it did wonders for him. I highly recommend the book and diet. Pecanbread.com is a great tool for the diet. Good luck to you.0
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You shouldn't be worried about cross contamination until you know how severe this is. Only if you have severe celiac disease would this happen - and if that is the case you would have SEVERE digestive problems and dropping weight like it was nothing.
I would just do your best with what you can do. Stick to things that are naturally gluten free as opposed to things that are gluten substitutes.
Rice, legumes, beans, veggies, millet, quinoa are all reletively inexpensive especially if you can get them in bulk
I'm just curious - why do you use egg substitute? - not that I can think of anything particularly wrong with doing it - i'm just curious its always just weirded me out... lol
Hello, first post. Just wanted to point out that I have Celiac disease. It is severe. I also have a lot of weight to lose. It is a myth that people with Celiac disease are skinny as rails. Your body is not receiving any real nutrition from the food you eat while eating gluten. So if your body goes into starvation mode, you will stay heavy. Also, it has been proven that people who are GF do take in more calories daily. Hope that helps. Good luck to you.
Ditto I put weigh on before I was re-diagnosed as my body was craving food 24/7 especially high calorie food etc..It appears that fat can still be absorbed although other nutrients are not. it has now be recognised that many undiagnosed coeliacs are overweight.
PS there is also a great gluten free group on here.0 -
My daughter has celiac and is totally gluten free. I would recommend first, getting tested. The first step is a simple blood test to check protein levels in your blood. You need to do the testing prior to switching to a gluten free diet. I buy hardly any actual gluten free products. I cook real food. My daughter doesn't eat much meat either, but she gets protein from peanut butter and beans. I will splurge on UDI's bread because it's the best I have found. Fresh fruit and vegetables are naturally gluten free. We eat quite a bit of rice as well. Eating out is difficult and the gluten free alternatives are very expensive, but if it's necessary you will find a way to make it work.0
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So I need some help. Recipes? Resources? Tips and tricks? I should probably mention that I don't really eat meat (I make myself eat chicken breast sometimes), I'm mildly lactose intolerant and I'm allergic to seafood. Kind of limits my options >.<
Help?
If you can eat meat, I'd suggest finding ways to eat it that you like since you can't eat dairy or seafood.
Do you like tofu? A tofu stir fry with brown rice is gluten free and a meal complete with carbs, protein and fat.
Nuts are also good options for protein and work well in stir fries or salads.
There are a lot of meal options with non-wheat grains and beans.
A salad of quinoa, beans and chopped veggies.
Beans and rice can be seasoned in countless different ways for a variety of meals.
Bean or lentil soups.
Do you like eggs or egg whites? That is a cheap source of protein that is pretty versatile. Omelettes, egg fried rice, boiled eggs in salads.
Rice noodles are usually gluten free and are a good option for pasta dishes.0 -
Welcome to my world!
I find out 15 months ago that I have Celiac Disease. It's horrible, and yes there is gluten in everything.
Easiest thing I can tell you here without writing a novel? Eat REAL food and stop trying to subsitute everything.
Eggs, fruit, Veggies, and milk/cheese are your best friend. I love meat and fish but you don't have that option.
It's not going to be easy, but it you are truly gluten intolerant, it's the only thing you can do other than keep posioining yourself.
*hugs*0 -
Hey guys,
So to make a long story short, I have a sneaking feeling that I may have some form of gluten intolerance. I have 97% of the common symptoms and while I don't want to jump to any conclusions, I figure the easiest way to confirm my intuition is to try cutting gluten out for awhile and see if any of the symptoms go away.
The issue I'm having with this is that there seems to be gluten in E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.!!!! My boyfriend wanted to get subs today and I wanted to stay away from the bread so I had to find something else instead. Everything I thought of getting, had gluten in it! Chicken pieces (breading), salad (croutons), soup (noodles or thickeners), etc. I ended up getting the salad and just taking the croutons out, but it's still really frustrating. I know this is something that everyone with gluten intolerance has to go through, but it's just like.. AHHH!!!!
The things I've looked at that are made as alternatives to things that generally have gluten in them, are 2-3 times the price of their gluten including cousins! I'm sorry, but I'm poor. I'm on medical leave from work, I get $200 a month for a food budget, I have no savings. So how am I supposed to afford the gluten-free alternatives when I only have $200 a month to feed myself? The $200 already doesn't last the entire month (the last week of the month is always very very tight). It used to last me the whole month, but that was when I bought pre-packaged crap food. Now that I'm buying healthy food, it goes a lot faster.
So I need some help. Recipes? Resources? Tips and tricks? I should probably mention that I don't really eat meat (I make myself eat chicken breast sometimes), I'm mildly lactose intolerant and I'm allergic to seafood. Kind of limits my options >.<
Those frozen steam veggie meals are amazing and fairly cheap, and also healthy!0 -
Check out www.mariahealth blog.com, www.marksdailyapple, againstallgrain.com or www.lighterside.com for recipe inspiration & great infor on being gluten free. I'm doing the same thing & I've not been officially diagnosed either. It is very expensive & I have a limited budget too. I mainly stick to meats, cheeses & veggies & use those website I gave you above for recipe's. Good luck, I hope this helps.0
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You should really get tested for it...there are many diseases that are very similar and cutting out gluten wrongly can have bad effects....
Even a simple blood test will give you a better idea of if you are or not
I would seriously suggest being tested before diagnosing yourself and jumping to conclusions
Seriously.
'I went on WebMD and a bunch of websites and I have all the symptoms of XXX'....no, just go to a doctor. Also, if people keep lumping Celiac Disease in with gluten intolerance, I am going to have an aneurism. That's like saying 'My blood sugar got a little high after that birthday cake, so I probably have diabetes.' STAHP. It's not the same thing.
Thank you. Too many people are eager to jump on the gluten-free bandwagon without cause. Why would anyone voluntarily undertake a diet as restrictive and expensive as truly gluten-free unless they actually have celiac disease? Yeah, lots of people say they feel better without gluten, but I can't help but wonder how much of that is the power of the mind.
Don't guess with this stuff. Go to a real doctor (not some quack) and get properly tested to find out once and for all. There are blood tests that can suggest the possibility of celiac, but for a true diagnosis, you need a small bowel biopsy. And don't get these tests if you've been off gluten for a while. It can give misleading results.0 -
You should really get tested for it...there are many diseases that are very similar and cutting out gluten wrongly can have bad effects....
Even a simple blood test will give you a better idea of if you are or not
I would seriously suggest being tested before diagnosing yourself and jumping to conclusions
Seriously.
'I went on WebMD and a bunch of websites and I have all the symptoms of XXX'....no, just go to a doctor. Also, if people keep lumping Celiac Disease in with gluten intolerance, I am going to have an aneurism. That's like saying 'My blood sugar got a little high after that birthday cake, so I probably have diabetes.' STAHP. It's not the same thing.
Thank you. Too many people are eager to jump on the gluten-free bandwagon without cause. Why would anyone voluntarily undertake a diet as restrictive and expensive as truly gluten-free unless they actually have celiac disease? Yeah, lots of people say they feel better without gluten, but I can't help but wonder how much of that is the power of the mind.
Don't guess with this stuff. Go to a real doctor (not some quack) and get properly tested to find out once and for all. There are blood tests that can suggest the possibility of celiac, but for a true diagnosis, you need a small bowel biopsy. And don't get these tests if you've been off gluten for a while. It can give misleading results.
The placebo effect has increased so much over that past 20 years that it is actually beginning to outweigh the effects of the drugs against which it should be serving as a control. The phenomenon is widely attributed to participants' access to information on the web. They know how they're supposed to feel when they do X...so that is how they feel regardless of the actual treatment.0 -
Don't guess with this stuff. Go to a real doctor (not some quack) and get properly tested to find out once and for all. There are blood tests that can suggest the possibility of celiac, but for a true diagnosis, you need a small bowel biopsy. And don't get these tests if you've been off gluten for a while. It can give misleading results.
YES!!!! The biopsy is the only true diagnosis for celiac disease. A blood test might give you a hint, but it is not totally accurate. My blood test came back that I didn't have celiac disease, but after the biopsy, it was positive. And if you clean up your diet before the endoscopy, even the biopsy may not be accurate.
Also, if you do have celiac disease, removing croutons from a salad will still make you sick. Ask me how I know. Cross contamination is a huge issue. If you knew somebody had a peanut allergy, you wouldn't let peanut butter touch anything else that person is going to eat. The same should be said for gluten.
Trust me, not all people with celiac disease are skinny. I never had a problem maintaining my weight until I was diagnosed a year ago. I got sucked into all the gluten-free convenience foods you can buy at the grocery store. Way over-priced and much less healthy than making it on my own. However, I used them until I learned how to cook better gluten free. I'm still trying to lose the 15 pounds I gained this year, though.
Best of luck to you. Eating healthy is often more expensive than junk food, but you can work around it and your body will love you for it!0 -
Don't guess with this stuff. Go to a real doctor (not some quack) and get properly tested to find out once and for all. There are blood tests that can suggest the possibility of celiac, but for a true diagnosis, you need a small bowel biopsy. And don't get these tests if you've been off gluten for a while. It can give misleading results.
YES!!!! The biopsy is the only true diagnosis for celiac disease. A blood test might give you a hint, but it is not totally accurate. My blood test came back that I didn't have celiac disease, but after the biopsy, it was positive. And if you clean up your diet before the endoscopy, even the biopsy may not be accurate.
Also, if you do have celiac disease, removing croutons from a salad will still make you sick. Ask me how I know. Cross contamination is a huge issue. If you knew somebody had a peanut allergy, you wouldn't let peanut butter touch anything else that person is going to eat. The same should be said for gluten.
Trust me, not all people with celiac disease are skinny. I never had a problem maintaining my weight until I was diagnosed a year ago. I got sucked into all the gluten-free convenience foods you can buy at the grocery store. Way over-priced and much less healthy than making it on my own. However, I used them until I learned how to cook better gluten free. I'm still trying to lose the 15 pounds I gained this year, though.
Best of luck to you. Eating healthy is often more expensive than junk food, but you can work around it and your body will love you for it!
I think the fact that people either call it 'gluten intolerance' or 'Celiac disease' has led to the complete disregard that this is an **allergy**. You are so right in pointing out the parallel between this and a peanut allergy. Same with shellfish, or dairy. A dairy allergy is not the same thing as lactose intolerance. A dietary allergy arises when the body lacks enzymes to break a large protein into smaller peptides; the protein enters circulation and the body mounts an immune defense. It's like rejecting an organ transplant or blood transfusion. It's not just getting a little gassy and bloated when you eat a bagel.0 -
There is an awesome book called Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall.Which helps heal the gut. It is a diet called the The Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I had my son The Specific Carbohydrate Diet for a year and it did wonders for him. I highly recommend the book and diet. Pecanbread.com is a great tool for the diet. Good luck to you.
I already posted once, with further information on this book above, it is definitely amazing!! I have has Crohn's disease for 36 years and since I began that diet, no problems, really amazing. My profile picture is the cover of this book mentioned above.
Good luck!0
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