New to Gluten & Dairy Free diet, Help!

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RoseBlackstar
RoseBlackstar Posts: 31 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello I am completely new to the gluten and dairy free diet. I have done some research but would appreciate any tips you'd have for me. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Replies

  • FauxAngel13
    FauxAngel13 Posts: 156 Member
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    read everything obsessively, and learn what other words indicate dairy and gluten products... There are also some amazing blogs and books around that have recipes for food that tastes incredibly without gluten and dairy!!! My most recent addiction is Indulge by Rowie Dillon..
  • momwhosbusy
    momwhosbusy Posts: 154 Member
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    I have been GF and mostly DF for about 2 years. One word of advice I would definitely give you is to READ ALL LABLES!!! There is wheat in even the most unlikely of places. Another easy way to avoid both is to NOT go out to eat. A lot of things can be contaminated in the prep process and you'll pay for it later. Same goes for eating at other's homes.

    I do have a ? for you...Why are you going GF? If its for health reasons and you plan on this for the long haul then I hope you like to cook! (Thankfully I love to cook!) If its not for health reasons and your "following the fad" then I say forget it. Its a pain and so easy to get accidentally glutened. I have problems with even GF grains and really limit those as well.

    Chocolatecoveredkatie.com is a great blog and she has a lot of GF dessert recipes on there that are also healthy!

    Good luck!
  • RoseBlackstar
    RoseBlackstar Posts: 31 Member
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    Thanks for replying. I am going gluten free for health reasons. I have started reading all labels. I do enjoy cooking and I work from home so I usually have the time too. I am doing a lot of research this weekend due to going grocery shopping on Sunday. I will check out that site, Thanks! [although I'm not much of a desert person.] Thank you and Good luck to you too!
  • ash8184
    ash8184 Posts: 701 Member
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    I'm not sure how strict you're planning on being with yourself, but I've been mostly GF and mostly DF for about 18 months (and I've lost 110+lbs!). However, I am not totally strict and do eat both in moderation (very small quantities though).

    If you are doing this for purely health reasons (losing weight, feeling better -which you will!), and not for Celiac's or the like, try not to be super obsessive about it in that if you totally eliminate either from your diet, it becomes really time consuming and frustrating. You'll find that gluten or dairy is in lots of things you never knew about. I stay away from starches/bready things and as far as dairy, I have just recently added Greek yogurt back in to my diet (no problems) and will occasionally have queso (I do live in Texas!).

    It's going to suck at first, but you might find that you feel a lot better. I'm a lot less fatigued and feel less weighed down. Do be sure that you are doing well on your micros though... after eating primarily raw veggies and lean meat for 18 months, I actually have blacked out due to low blood pressure (which several docs have told me might be the result of not enough sodium since I don't eat processed foods). Be sure to supplement with calcium as well to make up for no dairy.

    Hope this helps!
  • RoseBlackstar
    RoseBlackstar Posts: 31 Member
    Options
    I'm not sure how strict you're planning on being with yourself, but I've been mostly GF and mostly DF for about 18 months (and I've lost 110+lbs!). However, I am not totally strict and do eat both in moderation (very small quantities though).

    If you are doing this for purely health reasons (losing weight, feeling better -which you will!), and not for Celiac's or the like, try not to be super obsessive about it in that if you totally eliminate either from your diet, it becomes really time consuming and frustrating. You'll find that gluten or dairy is in lots of things you never knew about. I stay away from starches/bready things and as far as dairy, I have just recently added Greek yogurt back in to my diet (no problems) and will occasionally have queso (I do live in Texas!).

    It's going to suck at first, but you might find that you feel a lot better. I'm a lot less fatigued and feel less weighed down. Do be sure that you are doing well on your micros though... after eating primarily raw veggies and lean meat for 18 months, I actually have blacked out due to low blood pressure (which several docs have told me might be the result of not enough sodium since I don't eat processed foods). Be sure to supplement with calcium as well to make up for no dairy.

    Hope this helps!

    I'm am going to try and be as strict as possible, I am away from home every weekend so they will be the hardest times to stick with it. I have been supplementing with calcium for a while due to one of my medications causing calcium loss. Thanks for the tips.
  • jesswait
    jesswait Posts: 218 Member
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    I am allergic to wheat and dairy and try to avoid both, you can add me if you like. The best advice is to learn the other name those foods are listed as on labels. (They are getting better about listing common allergens at the bottom of the label, but some products have not adopted this format yet.)

    http://www.avoidingmilkprotein.com/ReadingIngredients.htm
  • RoseBlackstar
    RoseBlackstar Posts: 31 Member
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    I am allergic to wheat and dairy and try to avoid both, you can add me if you like. The best advice is to learn the other name those foods are listed as on labels. (They are getting better about listing common allergens at the bottom of the label, but some products have not adopted this format yet.)

    http://www.avoidingmilkprotein.com/ReadingIngredients.htm

    Thanks!
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
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    I'm not dairy free by any means, but I am 99% gluten free. (I am able to tolerate very limited amounts with only mild-moderate symptoms.)

    I use corn tortillas a LOT instead of bread, because GF breads are so expensive and usually high in sodium. That said, Udi's is an awesome brand for bread, muffins, pizza crust, etc.

    Get some wheat free tamari and use that in place of soy sauce. Then you can enjoy fried rice and other asian dishes that require it.
  • RoseBlackstar
    RoseBlackstar Posts: 31 Member
    Options
    I'm not dairy free by any means, but I am 99% gluten free. (I am able to tolerate very limited amounts with only mild-moderate symptoms.)

    I use corn tortillas a LOT instead of bread, because GF breads are so expensive and usually high in sodium. That said, Udi's is an awesome brand for bread, muffins, pizza crust, etc.

    Get some wheat free tamari and use that in place of soy sauce. Then you can enjoy fried rice and other asian dishes that require it.
    Thanks i will look into Udi and Tamari, I love my occasional sushi!

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