Anyone going Wheat Free or Gluten Free?

I have coeliacs sprue.

As for advice, don't eat wheat. Or gluten. It's not that hard.

Avoid gluten free bread products. The healthiest gluten free substitute product would be whole grain brown rice pasta or quinoa pasta and its so delicious! Seriously, sometimes I feel like that is how I have survived on a gluten free diet! Instead stick to foods that are naturally gluten free like yams, sweet potatoes, veggies, fruit, fish, brown rice, milk, etc. Good luck! You can do it! Why are you trying to go gluten free in the first place? I went gluten free because I had stomach problems and wanted to see if I was intolerant. I feel like I am because now after cutting it out for 6 months, my stomach immediately rejects it. Friend me!

You'd be surprised how many people that quit eating gluten for a period of time then start again and suddenly realized how much it was actually effecting them. It isn't an arbitrary thing, I'm not one to preach but the wheat that we eat has a growing list of studies that are showing that it is causing many health issues even if you don't have Celiac. I am not on a strict gluten free diet but I do try to limit my carbs as much as possible. I have been wanting to try a 30 day "cleanse" of gluten just to see if I notice any side effects when I reintroduce it. The amount of time that I happen to avoid it currently isn't long enough to really tell.

I have not had an ounce of gluten/wheat or dairy since the 4th of July. I feel so much better without it and its not that difficult to go off of when you get used to it. But I would not taking gluten out of your meal unless you have allergies. If you cannot afford an allergy test, take gluten out of your diet for a little while and if you feel a positive difference then you probably are. If you are not allergic to gluten, just stick with the whole grains! P.S. Any gluten free recipes that originally had gluten in it, SUCK!

watch out for sauces, gravy, soups and stews. Wheat flour is used to thicken LOTS of stuff that you wouldn't really think about. I bought frozen cauliflour with a butter sauce frmo trador joes only to realise that the sauce had wheat in it.

Yup I am gluten free and feel great. I didn't realize how much it affected me until I took it out of my diet!

Not unless I'm diagnosed with Celiac or some kind of intolerance. I don't arbitrarily exclude foods/food groups from my diet without a good reason to do so.

Here is what I am reading that has sent me down this path:
Wheat Belly by William Davis (http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose-Weight-Health/dp/1609611543)

Yeah, don't get excited about that. Most of his theories have been debunked. I can't think of any reason to go wheat free or gluten free (2 different things) unless you've been diagnosed with a problem.

Me too. I roll my eyes when people do it and then suddenly say "I have so much energy now! Never felt better!". Please...

I've been gluten-free since January 1st - I do not have celiac disease, nor do I have an "intolerance" but I was always very bloated after eating foods with gluten. This was my test to see if perhaps I should start limiting it indefinitely.

I find now that I've been doing it for a few weeks I'm definitely feeling lighter (not according to the scale, just in how good I feel when I'm finished eating) - I'm not super "stuffed" feeling even after a big meal. Does that make sense?

I found going gluten-free very easy, in my opinion, which is kind of weird, coming from an Italian family where pasta and bread are staples.

Rice crackers are an excellent dupe if you like regular crackers.. there are a million gluten-free breads if you can't live without and several other posters have mentioned quinoa or rice pasta... Quinoa, rice and beans are my go to for carbs, it's nice that they contain protein too.

I splurged and bought Cup 4 Cup gluten-free flour $20 for a large bag - and have been baking with it (my flour swap in banana bread and chocolate chip cookies was barely noticeable).

I do sometimes get bloated after eating dairy though (gulp!!! I eat dairy constantly) - so this will be my next "cleanse", maybe starting in the spring.

Hope that helps.

Not unless I'm diagnosed with Celiac or some kind of intolerance. I don't arbitrarily exclude foods/food groups from my diet without a good reason to do so.

Here is what I am reading that has sent me down this path:
Wheat Belly by William Davis (http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose-Weight-Health/dp/1609611543)

Yeah, don't get excited about that. Most of his theories have been debunked. I can't think of any reason to go wheat free or gluten free (2 different things) unless you've been diagnosed with a problem.

Me too. I roll my eyes when people do it and then suddenly say "I have so much energy now! Never felt better!". Please...

I would probably attribute their higher energy levels to fewer refined carbs in their diets. In my personal experience, I replaced all of my grains (medically necessary) with vegetables, and MIRACULOUSLY lost weight(HEAVY sarcasm on the miraculous). Less sugar is good for you. If that means cutting out wheat, or whatever, go for it. That said, don't expect a quick fix, and unless you are ready to stay committed to this for life, you are probably going to gain back anything you lose as a result.

We are wheat/grain free, as well as low-carb and the thing I've learned is pretty much avoid anything that claims to be gluten-free... if it says it is, there's a good chance it's still wheat/grain or starch-based, just without gluten. (Of course, if you're only going for gluten-free, that's cool.) Remember, they never have to label the broccoli as gluten-free!

We make all our own baked goods, breads, buns, crackers etc. using almond flour, coconut flour or flax seed meal (what little we do eat). I've never seen a gluten-free advertised product use these base ingredients, probably because they're more expensive than the others typically used. I just assume that I can't eat anything that's described as gluten-free because chances are it's not grain/wheat/starch-free. So it matters (from a food-choosing standpoint) whether you decide to go wheat-free, gluten-free or completely grain-free because they're not the same thing.

When your bread is essentially made with fatty flours like coconut/almond, they're much more filling so you eat less. We find this works well for a low-carb/high-fat diet, but if you're doing something different, you'd need to check the macro ratios to see if it's what you're looking for.

Not unless I'm diagnosed with Celiac or some kind of intolerance. I don't arbitrarily exclude foods/food groups from my diet without a good reason to do so.

Here is what I am reading that has sent me down this path:
Wheat Belly by William Davis (http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose-Weight-Health/dp/1609611543)

great book. i have it.