Gluten free fitness pals

skinnybefore
skinnybefore Posts: 37
edited January 3 in Food and Nutrition
I've been having digestion problems for the past two years & just keep getting tossed around to different doctors with no answers YET! Test after test & no reason for my symptoms. Initially diagnosed with acid reflux, but recently had a Bravo pH test that came back within normal limits. Dr said to keep taking acid blockers if it helps?!? :huh:

Time to take matters into my own hands, I think.

I've read that food allergies can sometimes cause similar symptoms. Anyone have any advice or recipes for gluten-free eating? I'm looking for budget friendly recipes that would appease my hubby & kids so that I only have to make one dinner.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Replies

  • skinnybefore
    skinnybefore Posts: 37
    :flowerforyou:
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    I recently went gluten free after YEARS of believing that dairy was causing my digestive issues.

    After going mostly wheat free for one month (nothing obvious, but didn't necessarily avoid BBQ sauce or creamy salad dressings) I realized that I wasn't having any stomach problems at all; I even reintroduced dairy without issue.

    Now 4 months in, I just ate some regular pizza for the first time and had such a terrible reaction -- severe stomach distress after every meal for 8 consecutive days after the 1 offensive meal! Wow. I have not eaten any barley at all since going GF, so not sure how I would react.

    Here's a cookbook I've actually had for years (took one of my sons off of wheat for a while 9 years ago for ADHD issues), and it's great, particularly her recipe for "all purpose gluten free flour". I find that using wheat alternative flours on their own often result in a texture that I don't like, however, this woman's blend of non-wheat flours makes a nice texture:

    http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Free-Recipes-Menus-Carol-Fenster/dp/1583331913/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1352323371&sr=8-2&keywords=wheat+free+cookbook

    I recommend you go wheat-free for one month minimum and record all stomach upset. Be aware that it takes a while for your body to stop reacting, so even the first week or so you may still feel symptoms.

    good luck!
  • jennahowden
    jennahowden Posts: 34 Member
    Why do you suspect it's gluten? Is there family history of it? Or have you just connected it to how you feel after you consume certain things?

    I just ask because if you want to know if it's Coeliac Disease for example, you need to continue having it until you get tested. A simple blood test can see if you have the gene for it. But a negative result doesn't mean you don't have it. Further testing in a colonoscopy is necessary, and will tell you for sure.

    When I started getting sick, I thought it was dairy. I cut it out, got a little better, then back to sick. Decided to cut of gluten, because I connected it to when I'd eat cereals or pasta or bread etc. I got a little better then back to crap. My doc then decided I needed to be tested for CD. But because I had cut out the gluten for so long, a test wouldn't show the damage needed to positively diagnose. So, I had to eat 4 slices of normal bread daily for around 8 weeks before my test. Which come back negative.

    Hydrogen breath testing was my next step. Lactose came back negative. They decided to test FRUCTOSE which came back off the charts intolerant.
    So turns out I have fructose malabsorption. I can no longer eat a wide range of fruits, even veggies are limited. NO ONION or garlic or tomato. Which made things difficult because they are normal things to cook with.
    Turns out the reason bread was making me sick was not because of the gluten, but because wheat contains a chain of fructose called fructans.

    Sorry for the long post. Just thought you need to be thinking about more possibilities before jumping to a gluten free diet.
  • skinnybefore
    skinnybefore Posts: 37
    @ sleepytexan, thank you so much for the link! I will definitely check it out. Glad to know that I'm not the only one struggling with these issues. :)

    @jenna, my dad has an auto-immune disease that affects his digestive system. Don't have a lot of details on that, though. What kind of dr ordered your tests? My pcp keeps referring me to ent's and gastro docs.
  • lmschmitt63
    lmschmitt63 Posts: 12 Member
    http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/ lot's of recipes here, I have found just googling what I want gluten free leads me to a lot of different recipes.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    you're welcome.

    BTW, a gluten-free meal can be pretty basic. Think:

    grilled or broiled meat / fish, eggs, tofu
    fresh veggie
    fresh fruit

    That's my basic plan for most nights -- sometimes add rice, a baked potato or yam, corn tortillas, GF pasta (Tinkyada is a good brand -- the family won't know the difference).

    When cooking, just use alternatives for thickening like corn starch or a bit of mashed potato. Baking is a bit trickier, but all in all when you cook yourself and you control the ingredients, it's not too bad.
  • stbrad6896
    stbrad6896 Posts: 135
    tons of gluten free recipes online. you can use rice or other types of flour, make pizza, no-bake cookies, one of my favorite brownie recipes of ALL TIME is gluten free and I didn't even know it when I first ate them! Also make stir fry or pasta dishes with gluten free noodles. So many options nowadays.
  • AngInCanada
    AngInCanada Posts: 947 Member
    My 7 year old son and I are gluten and dairy free (I cheat on the dairy sometimes though). Hard at first, but easy peasy now as long as we prepare meals at home. No more eating fast food 2x a week anymore, which is good! Add me if you want. :)
  • RobynLB
    RobynLB Posts: 617 Member
    You should only go gluten free if you have an actual food allergy. Record your foods and symptoms for a few weeks and make sure that's what it is before you take out gluten. I have gluten, corn, and dairy allergies, and it takes a ton of healthy food out of my diet. I hate it, and it's not healthier for you just because it's a health food trend.
  • jennahowden
    jennahowden Posts: 34 Member
    My GP did the blood test, then referred me to a specialist who I think was a gastroenterologist. She organised the gastroscopy and colonoscopy. Then gave me a referral for the hydrogen breath testing. Here in Australia though, I'm pretty sure you don't need the referral from the specialist for the hydrogen breath test. You can just call the place for testing and make an appointment.

    If your doc has already referred you to gastro's have you had any food allergy testing done?
  • Flowers4Julia
    Flowers4Julia Posts: 521 Member
    It's becoming a fairly accepted fact that many, many folks are gluten sensitive (although maybe not technically Celiac).

    I relate to your story because I was also on acid reflux meds for GERD. I gave up grains and all sources of gluten I could identify and after a week stopped taking the meds. I've never had a problem or had to go back on them. It was definitely worth the experiment and I'm glad I did the research to find out what I did.

    My gastro had just told me to give up fatty and spicy types of foods...that never worked. Giving up grain and gluten (happily) has been the answer!

    Best to You!
  • Starla_
    Starla_ Posts: 349
    I've never been tested for celiac, but I cannot eat gluten without getting sick no matter what the source is. I'd like to get a test done but I'm not willing to eat gluten and get sick in order to get tested correctly. I am also slightly lactose intolerant but a lot of my symptoms I thought were from the lactose intolerance were actually from the gluten intolerance.

    There is no harm in cutting out gluten if you think that is going to be better for you, it is very easy to eat gluten free if you know how to cook and know how to read an ingredients list. It can seem daunting at first because at first look EVERYTHING looks like it is full of gluten but once you adapt it's pretty easy (sometimes very frustrating if you have to go out for dinner though).

    Recording what you eat and symptoms are a good idea then you are better able to take the extra information to a doctor too if you want definitive testing done.
  • skinnybefore
    skinnybefore Posts: 37
    @ stbrad, may I please have that brownie recipe!?! Sounds wonderful!

    @angela, thanks for the encouragement! I need to stop eating out for sure. My family talked me into Chinese the other night, and boy did I pay for it afterwards! Still am, actually.

    @ jenna, Haven't had any allergy testing yet. I've had 2 upper endoscopies, a colonoscopy, a Bravo pH test, and stricture. Any time I mention allergy testing, they brush me off. That's why I'm getting so frustrated. I've spent a lot of money on all of these tests and still don't have answers.

    @flowers4julia, Thank you, thank you, thank you! I needed to hear from you! My gastro dr also gave me a list of foods to avoid, and wheat isn't one of them. That's why I'm questioning the possibility of gluten sensitivity because my acid blockers don't seem to work.

    @ sleepytexan, I'm running your idea of grilled meat, fresh veggie, & fresh fruit past my hubby. He's excited about trying something new. Thanks again! :)
  • skinnybefore
    skinnybefore Posts: 37
    @ lmschmitt, this website is amazing! Thank you for sharing!


    "http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/ lot's of recipes here, I have found just googling what I want gluten free leads me to a lot of different recipes."
    [/quote]
  • danni_l
    danni_l Posts: 144 Member
    I do gluten free - self diagnosed through an elimination diet. Bread, pasta, beer etc are not my friends!

    I now do low carb / gluten free, feel free to add me, my diary is open to friends so you can see what I eat. Ive lost of a bit of weight through this, but I also feel so much better.

    I recently had a bit of time off work and ate some bread, feeling so rubbish today so back on the band wagon for me! :)
  • skinnybefore
    skinnybefore Posts: 37
    Just bought "Wheat Belly" and can't put it down! Anybody else read it?
  • Carol_123
    Carol_123 Posts: 69 Member
    I went gluten free because I knew something about bread made me sick - rashes, ulcerative colitis. After much testing and experimenting I realized while having a mild wheat allergy according to an IGG blood test done by a naturopathic dr that I was actually seriously allergic to the malt added to some breads and allergic to eggs in some baked goods. I also am allergic to anything that is MSG related ie. compounds that are not msg but have just as high of a glutamic acid content such as autolysed yeast found in most soup stocks, even organic ones. I now eat wheat but avoid breads with malt and avoid eggs. I was so sure it was gluten at first and ate gluten free for years before I figured it out I didn't need to.

    Best gluten free cupcake I've had. Sift flours, barely mix it and definitely use the coconut milk - it is not the same with rice milk.

    http://www.marcussamuelsson.com/recipe/gluten-free-and-soy-free-chocolate-vegan-cupcakes-with-vanilla-frosting-recipe

    And for gluten free pasta the only kind I buy is Tinkyada which holds up better than some others which get mushy too easy and you have to boil it in a lot more water than you do wheat pasta.
  • junipearl
    junipearl Posts: 326 Member
    my other half is celiac so the majority of what I make at home is gluten free =)

    You can add me for ideas (my diary is open to friends) or check out my blog: symphonyofeats.tumblr.com
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