Choosing to be Gluten Free for myself

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I have recently decided to research being gluten free as well as follow a paleo diet. Is there anyone else out there that has chosen to be gluten free that does not have food allergies and eats gluten free due to a medical reason? I am curious as to what these decisions can do to my body... I just turned 29 and would like to be healthier than I have ever been before. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

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  • hdlb
    hdlb Posts: 333 Member
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    I am GF due to medical reasons, but I'm also Paleo :) Are you part of the Primal/Paleo group too? They'll be able to answer your question too.

    As far as I know, there is nothing that you get from gluten containing foods that you can't get elsewhere. There is no reason why you have to eat it.
  • dynamicwon
    dynamicwon Posts: 175 Member
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    I am GF for medical reasons. I have seasonal allergies that last every season and arthritis in my shoulder. Ive only been GF for about six weeks and my shoulder is almost pain free (gluten causes inflammation) and my sneezing, congestion, allergy eyes,etc are getting better every day. I have made no other changes so I know the GF is working. I really had to stop telling people about this because they react as if I am crazy!
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,954 Member
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    I initially went gluten free to support my daughter who is gluten intolerant and still living at home. We went gluten free in our house to make life easier and avoid contaminating her but I still ate it when out of the house at first. Then I went GF out of the home too, again to make sure she knew she could find things to eat when not at home (it's easier to teach if I do first.) Well I discovered I feel better GF so I stuck with it. I have fibromyalgia and have been struggling with a pretty bad episode the last few weeks so I decided to go grain free as well and I have noticed improvement. YMMV but don't be surprised if you find you feel better. You don't require grain for good health. I drink green smoothies everyday, eat lots of vegetables, fruit, nuts and meat with some dairy. I'm not trying to be paleo or primal but I feel better when I skip grains, sugar and artificial sweeteners. I can't do fake sugar at all because it messes me up.
  • hibran32
    hibran32 Posts: 2 Member
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    me too! I've been suffering from infertility for 4 years (3 IVFs with my own eggs and 2 IVFs using donor eggs). I've been pregnant 3 times and miscarried each. My last 2 miscarriages were suspicious as they weren't "normal". It was speculated I was having an autoimmune response and a test confirmed I have high activity of natural killer cells. Basically my body treats my pregnancies like cancer and attacks.

    Probably more than you need to know but it's interesting that gluten can play a role.

    In addition to the drugs I will take to reduce my immune system (steroids, Intralipids, Neupogen), top reproductive immunologists recommend going gluten free. Since gluten can cause inflammation, reducing it where one can is a good thing to help an overactive immune system.

    I don't know if it will work or not on my upcoming cycle but I will do anything at this point. I am a size 22 and I need to lose weight anyway. GF is definitely helping me make better choices.

    I do believe I have had IBS-C for years. I really hoped being GF would help but it's actually made my constipation worse. I've been supplementing with fiber to deal with it.
  • tklaing
    tklaing Posts: 20
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    I have been gluten free over a month now. It has been the biggest thing to ever benefit my health. I used to get sick all the time, I used to joke that "I had no immune system".
    Going gluten free has greatly reduced my allergies, shoulder/neck pain, headaches, and fatigue.
    I still have some issues with sinus/ears, but I am told it may take another few months (3-6) to fully heal.
    I have no intention of going back to eating gluten. I actually enjoy eating now, and eat much less than I used to, I feel that the food I eat now actually nourishes me instead of just "fills me up".
  • SamAdams125
    SamAdams125 Posts: 54 Member
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    I just decided to go gluten free after reading the book Wheat Belly (recommended by a friend). The author's argument about today's "wheat" having been so altered from it's natural form that it really isn't healthy for humans anymore made plenty of sense. I don't have any medical concerns that can be linked with a gluten intolerance, but I figure, why eat something so tampered with? *shrug* I'm 3 days in and feeling good. I'm definitely going 100% for the whole month of February and from there will decide if it's going to be a life-long thing (though most likely it will from everything I've been reading).
  • tklaing
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    In case anyone hasn't already heard of it, there's an awesome group on Facebook called Gluten Free Planet.

    http://www.facebook.com/groups/100433633347630

    Lot's of helpful people on there :)
  • akaMrsmojo
    akaMrsmojo Posts: 762 Member
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    I went gluten free after 10 years of quacks, sorry doctors, told me I had GERD. I never had heartburn and none of the medicine helped my horrible vomiting episodes. I could not lose weight and I was covered with these res patches on my face. I have horrible seasonal allergies and I was starting to get arthritis in my fingers.

    I was always bloated and I looked 5 months pregnant.

    Quit Gluten 5.5.2009, within a week I was better. Face cleared up. Vomited twice since that day and I lost the bloat and the water weight.

    Still no heartburn.
  • badtastebetty
    badtastebetty Posts: 326 Member
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    I made the decision to go gluten free without getting tested.

    I've dealt with a year and half of digestive issues. Bloating, gas, constipation, daily nausea, stomach aches. It wasn't always severe but I wanted to try something, and it's worked like a dream. I slipped up this weekend and ended up extremely sick.

    I can handle small amounts of gluten, but I have learned it's mostly not worth it.
  • DMW914
    DMW914 Posts: 368 Member
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    I've not been formally diagnosed but found these particular blogs to be insightful which is why I made my choice. www.mariahealth.blogspot.com, www.marksdailyapple.com, www.wheatbellyblog.com, www.againstallgrain.com & www.gapsdiet.com to name a few. All of these variations helped with good information & plenty of recipe ideas. Good luck & I hope these help.