Did you go gluten or dairy free? Why?
moonfruity
Posts: 43 Member
I'm contemplating going gluten and dairy free. If you have tell me why, and what you've noticed is different.
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I recently went gluten free again ( i have done it previously for suspected Celiac) and I love it. It can be hard to get used to if you're a big pasta, sandiwch and on the go eater but I feel MUCH better when I don't have gluten in my diet! I don't go as far to restrict certain rices, spices and dressings that have gluten but I do avoid anything obviously gluten filled. It's wonderful when done correctly! As for dairy I do limit it, although I don't cut it out completely. I do have greek yogurt to get some K in my system but I don't drink milk or eat cheese. I feel ike I'm less bloated when I am eating gluten free, I have more energy, get less headaches and even sleep better. There's just no reason not to!0
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I've been gluten free for about 2 weeks now due to severe stomach cramps and bloating whenever I eat it.
Honestly, its the best decision ever and its really NOT THAT HARD. i thought i was going to miss pasta and
bread/ sandwiches, but i've been really creative with my cooking now as you kind of have to and you'll find
theres plenty of things to eat.
it's incredible, go for it.0 -
I did a gluten free and lactose free diet since my naturopath wanted me to try it since it seemed I had some sensitivities to both gluten and dairy. I went to see her initially because I was having gallbladder attacks and the dr's kept telling me it wasn't my gallbladder since no tests could confirm indefinitely that it was my gallbladder. It did help me feel better overall but it didn't get rid of my gallbladder attacks so I didn't stay on it. Doing both of them at the same time can be hard if you're picky but I think it's a good route to go if you feel like it'll help you. Good luck!0
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I limit gluten because my allergies (sneezing, runny nose, etc) always disappear when I do. I used to attribute this to the weather, now I know it's diet related.
I limit dairy (i stick to greek yogurt and some cheese) to keep my skin blemish free and without red splotches (cutting sugar helps with keeping your skin clear as well!)0 -
Most of us have done due to health reasons and not having a choice.
I think it's great for several reasons anyway. I wouldn't suggest using all the substitutes though. Most are not good for you. I use the gluten free pasta and a few other things.
I hear people all the time complaining about not losing weight on a gluten free diet. Being gluten free doesn't mean it's okay to eat a box of gluten free cookies everyday. lol. You should still eat right.
I have little dairy, meaning few things with cow milk. Going gluten free was not a choice, I had to. It's not that hard.0 -
Thu 08/09/12 03:49 PM
Most of us have done due to health reasons and not having a choice.
I think it's great for several reasons anyway. I wouldn't suggest using all the substitutes though. Most are not good for you. I use the gluten free pasta and a few other things.
I hear people all the time complaining about not losing weight on a gluten free diet. Being gluten free doesn't mean it's okay to eat a box of gluten free cookies everyday. lol. You should still eat right.
I have little dairy, meaning few things with cow milk. Going gluten free was not a choice, I had to. It's not that hard.
^^^i agree! substituting can be just as bad as eating gluten. A lot of the GF subsititues are super high in fats and will cause you to gain or stay at the same weight. I suggest cutting out pasta and bread unless its on a special occassio nthen go for the GF option.0 -
I've been gluten free for the past 4 years, not by choice. I think the only weight benefit I've seen from gluten free is when everyone else is having cake or donuts you have to decline. So often food is consumed socially when we aren't really even hungry.0
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I am grain free and dairy free. Both gluten and non-gluten grains bother me. A number of members of my family are also gluten-free, for various reasons. Our celiac and/or gluten-/dairy triggered symptoms are below.
Myself:
Chronic Nosebleeds
Anemia
Depression/SAD/PMS
Reactions to antibiotics and medications
Other environmental allergies and food intolerances
Hyperparathyroid symptoms, including kidney stones, dry eyes, and chest pain - subclinical, not diagnosed
Unexplained infertility
Peripheral neuropathy
Migraines
Unexplained abdominal pain
Rashes
Constipation, gas, irritable bowel/spastic colon, other digestive issues
SIBO (Small Intestine Bowel Overgrowth, with ulcers, heartburn, acne rosacea)
Arthritis/joint pain
Low blood glucose, resulting in hypersensitivity to fructose
“Foreign proteins in the blood” (a symptom of autoimmune disease)
Hangnails, ridged nails
Dry mouth and eyes (possible Srogen's)
My kiddo (not blood related):
Compromised immune system (repeated strep infections)
Behavioural issues, violence, mood, sensory (violence trigged by dairy)
Diarrhea and constipation
Stomach aches
Dermatitis/exema
Anxiety
Food allergies/intolerances
Migraines
Thin, flaking nails
Dry, thin hair
ADHD & learning disorders (some FASD or inherited, not all gluten/dairy related)
Hubby:
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Pain in spine/tailbone
Muscle and joint pain
Depression (triggered by dairy)
Dad:
Failure to Thrive
Childhood dysentery
Tooth decay
Low energy, "weak heart"
Reactions to drugs/medications
Migraines
Depression
Multiple food allergies/intolerances
Kidney failure
Hypertension
Rapid weight loss
Allergic rhinitis
Muscle contractions/possible nerve damage
Malformed nails
Grandma and/or Great Grandma:
Weight loss
Migraines
Thyroid
Parkinson's
Osteroporosis/hump
"Allergic to bread"
Diabetes
Stunted growth
Weak immune system
Pot belly
Allergic rhinitis
On the issue of substitutes - being grain-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and multiple allergies, I don't really consume the commercial substitutes. One kind of cookie I get occasionally, but any other baking I have to do myself from scratch. I occasionally have Daiya cheese, but mostly stay away from it because it is very calorically dense. My hubby and kiddo, however, do consume commercial gluten-free bread and cereal, kiddo goes through lots of soy milk and daiya cheese, etc. Is it good for their health? No, not particularly. But considering the ten loaves or so of bread they went through a week before going gluten-free, one loaf of gf bread per week isn't so bad. I highly recommend whole foods and cooking from scratch, but everyone's circumstances and reaction swill be different.0 -
I went dairy free for about 6 months because I was breastfeeding and my baby was allergic to cow's milk. If I ate so much as a ritz cracker, she would have bloody diapers. When she was about 6 months old, we lost our home in hurricane Katrina, and I didn't have a choice about what I ate for a few weeks. It was either eat or go hungry, and then I found out that my daughter had outgrown her sensitivity to dairy. I was happy that she had outgrown it because I found dairy in lunch meat and soy cheese. Dairy and dairy derivatives are in almost everything. I tried vegan cheese and hated it. I don't know what it tastes like, but it ain't cheese.
Do you think you have sensitivities to gluten and dairy? If so, you can try an elimination diet. Be aware that dairy can take up to 3 weeks to get out of your system. Also, if you choose to remove these items from your diet, you need to find out the names of wheat and dairy derivatives. You would be amazed at what these things are in.0 -
Thank you all for your replies. I ask because I am an acupuncturist, and so often I have patients with auto immune disease, and dairy and gluten are the #1 allergens that people have disease from. I guess the ONLY way to find out is to eliminate them from my diet for a few weeks. I have been widdling down, but can't commit to gluten free. I am pretty sure I am sensitive to rice as I always get very bloated from it, but I also know I have low HCL in my stomach. Right now lowering my calories to 1600 has helped tremendously. Thanks again for everyone's help!!0
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I've been gluten free for the past 4 years, not by choice. I think the only weight benefit I've seen from gluten free is when everyone else is having cake or donuts you have to decline. So often food is consumed socially when we aren't really even hungry.
The local news did a segment on social eating at work last night. Many people have a hard time staying on diets or eating healthy because they feel obligated and pressured to eat at work with others. I know when I worked with people and turned down food I was always asked why, one boss even yelled at me and called me names but she was insane anyway. lol. Anytime I ate a piece of fruit someone always had to make a comment. One day I got really mad and said I eat this way so I don't weigh 300 lbs. I don't care if it was mean or not, at the time I was not overweight but I never have liked being picked apart. So your cake or donut statement is true. I prefer to think of it as declining belly and thigh fat instead of declining a donut. Makes me feel better. lol0 -
Wow...I am trying to go gluten free. I have alot of joint pain. I stopped eating all breads and any thing that said it contained wheat. I think I should look up what it is to be complete gluten free. My legs already feel better...but I am so tired. Very tired. Any ideas would help.
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Wow...I am trying to go gluten free. I have alot of joint pain. I stopped eating all breads and any thing that said it contained wheat. I think I should look up what it is to be complete gluten free. My legs already feel better...but I am so tired. Very tired. Any ideas would help.
Look up celiac disease and go to some sites to better understand what to look for in labels.
Glad your pain is getting better. My joint pain did too. Was a really nice surprise! If you are tired make sure you are getting enough protein. And sleep. Sleep is important.0 -
I went gluten free and dairy free in April to try to clear up an itchy rash I had on my legs. I had the rash for almost 2 years. The doctor had no clue what caused it, nothing helped (creams,lotions). So, a nutritionist recommended gluten/dairy free. The rash cleared up within a few weeks. I have since added back in some dairy (I love my ice cream). The rash is still gone, but I can tell if I have some incidental gluten, my ankles get itchy and the rash starts to come back. I also have less bowel problems and have lost 35 lbs without trying too hard.
ETA - I actually eat Paleo/Primal and eat no grains or legumes. So, I don't eat any of the gluten free breads/sweets either. That has helped the weight loss.0 -
I take acidophilus. It will help with the rash and bowel issues. My whole gluten thing started with a rash on my nipple which led to a mammogram. The rash was unrelated to the breast issues but in the end I'm glad I had it because it set off a chain of events, a few cancer scares and I have since made some good decisions concerning my healthcare and look a leap and got off some drugs and therapy.0
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My wife is gluten free due to Celiac Disease and I recently joined her and am trying to stay on a Paleo diet -- however, I sometimes eat something (pizza, cake, cookies) and will feel it the next day or two. I do feel much better on my diet and I also lost 15 pounds just by changing my diet. Read "Wheat Belly" for a lot of interesting details on eliminating wheat/gluten from your diet.0
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I went gluten free (not dairy free - I don't think I can give up cheese!!) due to extremely bad migraine headaches... .i've had migraines my whole life (since before I can even remember) and nothing I have ever done seems to help (except taking medicine). Growing up I would only get a really bad one maybe once a month... as I got older I just got used to having a regular plain old headache often and the past year it's been at least 3-4 days a week if not more.... and I just lived with the headaches and feeling bad all the time....i didn't want to take medicine every day for them so I did some research to try and find out what I could do to prevent them... I came across that sometimes gluten intolerances are related to having migraine headaches... so I gave it a try.... it's been since June 6th.... and I have not had a single headache (except 2 instances where I'm pretty sure I've had gluten - 1 was fake crabmeat in sushi... who knew that had gluten in it???) i never knew that I could feel this good!! I can't believe I've gone my whole life feeling like **** and never knew what feeling really good was like!!! It's been an incredible experiment.... so far it's been full of lots of ups (and an occasional down or two) but it's been completely worth it!!! help this helps!!!0
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My wife is gluten free due to Celiac Disease and I recently joined her and am trying to stay on a Paleo diet -- however, I sometimes eat something (pizza, cake, cookies) and will feel it the next day or two. I do feel much better on my diet and I also lost 15 pounds just by changing my diet. Read "Wheat Belly" for a lot of interesting details on eliminating wheat/gluten from your diet.
I second reading the "wheat belly" book!!!!!!!! It's very enlightening!!!0 -
I use to eat oatmeal in the morning and every time I tried to leave the house I would have to run to the bathroom. It was the oats. If I eat any kind of dairy within 10 minutes I will become bloated and gassy. No way to live. I now can leave the house since I been eating a gluten and dairy free diet. Go for it, my body feels so much better don't miss it.0
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I use to eat oatmeal in the morning and every time I tried to leave the house I would have to run to the bathroom. It was the oats. If I eat any kind of dairy within 10 minutes I will become bloated and gassy. No way to live. I now can leave the house since I been eating a gluten and dairy free diet. Go for it, my body feels so much better don't miss it.
Steel cut oats don't bother me. But I do know what you mean about leaving the house. If I mess up.....not fun. I've been having a little greek yogurt and had cheese this week and feel a little bloated myself. Not much so I'm giving up the yogurt when this tub runs out.0 -
I have a true wheat allergy that gives me skin rashes and cold symptoms and even migraine headaches (thinking it's something to do with sinuses). Basically, I get miserable when I eat it. I decided to finally push myself to totally remove it from my diet and I feel fantastic. I'm not allergic to milk so I do have it but I also drink almond milk and mix the two up.0
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On the oats, did you make sure they were certified gluten free?0
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I"m gluten and dairy free.
I first went dairy free to fight what I was told was IBS, and though it didn't help at all with the tummy issues, the stomach pain and dizziness that we had been trying to figure out for years went away, and if I have anything with dairy they come back. I ate a bitg bite of cheese yesterday, and I'm still in pain. My skin also cleared up. I'd been fighting with acne since I was a teenager, its gone. My skin is so much softer.
And then I was diagnosed with Celiac, but its only been 10 days off gluten so there hasn't been a huge change yet. My stomach bloating and gas (yuck) is so much better, and the chronic diarrhea that I've had for years seems to be getting better, though I'm on medication to control that so I'm not totally sure. My joint pain has also gotten better. Otherwise, nothing else yet.
I do find it really hard. I also can't have meat because it causes pretty bad stomach pains, and its a lot to get rid of. Gluten, meat and dairy make up a huge part of what people eat each day. If I didn't have to do it, I wouldn't.0 -
When I'm not traveling I don't eat dairy for ethical reasons but I have to slide a bit when I'm in small towns that don't have a lot of vegan options and I only have a microwave to cook with.
Unless you have a true gluten sensitivity there's no health benefit to cutting gluten out of your diet. But hey, the placebo effect runs strong when it comes to dietary choices so why not!0 -
Red meat bothers me. I have cut way back on it because of other problems.
Give it some time with cutting gluten out. It can take a long time for some problems to go away. I'm also having to watch my sugar even though it all comes from fruit. I didn't do so good today because of recipe experiment gone horribly wrong. lol.
I eat a lot of eggs, beans and am trying to eat more vegetables thru the day.
So far I'm doing better and have things under control but I need to add more foods in my daily diet. Finding something I can eat and like the taste of can be a challenge.0 -
On the oats, did you make sure they were certified gluten free?
yes they are gluten free. I have been experimenting with different breads this week using them. Some turned out good, some not. lol. One was really good and my dogs were even jumping in the air to have some. So of course they got a few pieces. They have issues with what they can eat too. lol. We are a messed up house.0 -
If you don't feel like baking your own breads, Udi's brand of breads is delicious! I keep mine in the freezer and pop it in the microwave for about 10 seconds before I use it. They have a lot of options, including english muffins, bagels, and more. It's not very fattening, either.0
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lol I dont have a choice ...but they have some rock hard frozen bread if ya really need it.And corn pasta isn't bad at all0
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We are in the process of it.
It started with my kids... one daughter is showing signs of allergy/sensitivity but we don't know to what, and allergy testing takes months for an appointment, so we're doing an elimination diet.
Well, just to make things easier, I figured I would go on the same diet, and save the hassle of making different foods.
We had been cutting out dairy for a while - both girls were dairy-intolerant from birth but kind of have threshold levels where they can handle it. However, I decided it was time to fully eliminate it and see what happened. I added gluten and soy to that as of two weeks ago. So far, we haven't seen *dramatic* changes, but we are seeing improvements. Bowel function is starting to stabilize, her tonsils are starting to shrink a little (they've been big for years), she hasn't complained of tummyaches in quite a while now. For the most part the kids are happy with the plan, so long as I make the effort to find substitutes for ice cream and other treats.
It's complicated by her having hay-fever-ish allergies as well, and a cat allergy that has only really revealed itself since we started this elimination, so we are still going ahead with testing once her appointment gets here.
As for me, I started dropping weight overnight at the rate of about a pound a day... I don't know how much is due to the elimination specifically and how much is just due to the cleaner diet overall, but if it keeps up I'm going to think we're onto something. A week into the diet I got lazy and made myself a sandwich, and it did NOT go down well, so I haven't done that again. I have had a couple of non-GF snacks, like All Bran bars, and I had an ice capp one day. But otherwise I've stuck with it, and I've personally noticed an improvement in my sinuses and ears.
I still have to sell hubby on this... but so far I'm pretty much sold.0 -
I have been gluten free for 6 weeks at the advice of my naturopath as I have chronic allergies. Before, it was difficult to run or do jumping jacks as my stomach would hurt. Now my stomach feels fine. My naturopath says my gut is healing.
I went dairy free 3 weeks ago. I have been dairy free in the past - I was getting horrible congestion when I ate dairy. I was able to get all dairy except for whey and yogurt back into my diet. I started having a scratchy throat when I consumed dairy and a week later I had a bad reaction (swollen lips and face).
I try not to eat GF substitutes very often. At a restaurant I might order a GF pizza but at home I will eat rice, quinoa or potatoes as my starch.
I think some people definitely have sensitivities to foods and if you think you do, it would be worth doing an elimination diet.0
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