Gluten free

Hi! I went gluten free a few years back after a lot of medical issues came to light following a deployment to Iraq. I don't have Celiac's, just an intolerance that led to a lot of stomach issues and constant pain. I know that the switch can be slightly overwhelming. I have found that the best way to overcome that feeling of "man, I can't eat ANYTHING" is to switch to a clean eating lifestyle and just pack your meals FULL of veggies, fruits, and lean protein. I found that the less time and money (isn't that crap super expensive?!) I spent on "substitutions" the less I felt cheated out of something I loved. Do you like to cook? I found that the times I was bored with the diet was when I wasn't taking the time to put any effort into my meals. Salads and yogurts get super old super fast! Ironically, many of the tastiest cuisines like Mexican, Asian, Indian etc are actually naturally gluten free because they focus on corn and rice as their staple grains. I'm not sure where you are at either, but if there is a bakery, or a restaurant near you that serves fresh GF items, treat yourself to something once in a while from there. I used to hit up my fav stand at our farmer's market once a week for a fresh gf donut. I suck at baking, and double suck at baking GF items, so to get something that tasted yummy and "normal" was really nice!
Feel free to write me back with any other help you might want with this lifestyle. I know I didn't share specific recipes at all yet, but am more than happy to if you would like! I hope your health continues to improve!

If you look up any "Paleo" recipes or cookbooks you'll be good to go. They are all gluten free. Be careful about using too many pre-packaged gluten free products as most are made with rice flours which can spike your insulin levels.

Gluten Free here too ... I try to stay away from all that processed stuff though ... I eat pretty clean, though I do like my wine on occasion.

I was having so much joint pain and had to resort to painkillers. I read that for some people gluten is an inflammatory and I figured I'd cut gluten to see what happens. And fortunately or unfortunately it seems to be the culprit. 1 month gf and no pain killers and pain greatly reduced. The first 2 weeks I did splurge and buy prepackaged foods to make the transition easier, but it is too expensive and not very tasty to be sustainable. I like baking when I have the time, and my daughters do too. There are great recipes and with all the gf flours on the market make it very easy to bake substitutions. My local bakery will bake gf on request. GF is NOT low calorie. If gf has helped me lose weight at all its only because at the store or the potluck I can't eat "that" so it doesn't get consumed. Interesting about dairy and gf. I've lactose intolerant all my life. Willing to substitute and experiment might be what is making my gf transition pretty easy. I went to a potluck recently and made sure what I brought I could eat so I am not sitting there starving.

Going out is when keeping it GF can be tough. Last night at a concert beers were bought and I had to turn mine down, but I love hard cider so again I did not feel deprived - but also way more calories than a light beer. We also had chicken wings and sweet potato fries. My husband questioned them on the wings making sure there was no breading but didn't ask on the fries. I told him that when he picked them up to confirm there was no flour used on the fries, and sure enough they use a flour based seasoning on them. Knowing we were going out last night I ate light all day so I'd have plenty of calories to use. With my limited choices I ended up with a huge calorie deficit. Oh well.

Last week at the grocery store in the gluten free section I found a display of locally milled gf flours and grains. i happened upon "brown teff". I had never heard of this before. It is supposed to be like malt o meal but more nutritionally dense. I'm making it this morning to try it out. I find it fun to try new things, even if they are a bust.

I second that you check if it is ok that you are going gf before the test. If I remember right it takes months for your intestine to heal, but as the op said, you don't want to skew the test.

Good luck. FR me if you wish and we can share gf recipes.

My son and I have celiac disease and our whole house is gluten free. Celiac.org is a great website, even if you're non-celiac gluten intollerant (from what I've heard, people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity often have worse symptoms, just not the long-term health risks).

I gained weight on the diet but I think that's because I had so much intestinal damage I wasn't absorbing fats. I was always skinny no matter what I ate. Now I'm not starving but I gain more easily.

I personally don't think the diet is hard. Just the social aspect sometimes, and people get nosy and pushy. Some things that help us:
-We have a bread maker. I don't really like bread but my DH makes gf bread for the family. Millet, quinoa, almond flours...lots of healthy options besides the white rice flour in a lot of commercial products
-Use vegetables instead of the carb wherever possible (chopped veggies for a stirfry instead of rice, though rice is obviously gf; lettuce wraps instead of bread)
-Risotto is a great staple, very easy to make once you're used to it, though not very diet friendly
-Try to let go of other rules if you can. Before my diagnosis I was really picky about how much meat I'd eat, red meat once a week, etc.; now I kind of figure nothing is as deadly as gluten so I'll eat as much burger or bacon as I need to to feel satisifiedv

Good luck!

great website with GF recipes. http://www.skinnytaste.com/2007/07/skinny-gluten-free-recipes.html

I don't worry about getting bored by GF. I'd rather be bored than sick all the time. I'm not celiac, but I have gluten, egg and dairy sensitivities. I spent about a decade in the bathroom being sick all the time and not knowing why. And when I wasn't sick, I had intense anxiety waiting for the next episode to start up.

Now that I've made the changes, the difference is like night and day, and even though I've had to give up some of my favorite foods - anything with cheese! - it's well worth it. It took close to a month to get it all out of my system and really start to heal my digestive tract.

I'm a pasta freak, but there are tons of yummy GF pastas out there, and if you can find a decent recipe, you can even bake again. I've recently discovered a really delicious chocolate cake recipe that tastes and feels just like normal cake! Luckily, my local store has inexpensive GF pastas and flours in their bulk section. Buying them pre-packaged is crazy expensive. I wouldn't bother with most of the over-priced, processed GF products - like the breads and the frozen dinners and all that garbage. I just cook everything from scratch.

Good luck and enjoy the healing! :drinker:

My mother (whom I cook for) is gluten-free because it helps her fibromyalgia.

...I used to hit up my fav stand at our farmer's market once a week for a fresh gf donut...

My wildest fantasy! I'm gonna go google me a GF donut!

In the entire world of 7+ billion people between 5% and 10% of all people may suffer from a gluten sensitivity of some form. 3 million on the high end of estimates for the United States. I think the majority of them must be MFP users.

If you're diagnosed with CD, then the best be with you. If not just know that the cost of misdiagnosis is between $5,000 & $12,000 per year on average. Also, gluten free products are 24% more expensive on average.

It really is just the new red herring of weight control and health.

Best of luck

Well, if 5-10% suffer, then 3 million in the U.S. would be on the low end, not the high end, since the U.S. population is not 30 million people, it's closer to 314 million. 10% of that would be 31 million.

For me, since my doctor put me on GF, I have saved money in no longer wasting it on useless medical care, not missing work, etc... I don't spend a lot on GF, because I don't buy a bunch of expensive, processed GF crap. Also, I save money because I am forced to cook most of my food from scratch. Believe it or not, it's cheaper that way.

There may be a ton of people on GF who really don't need to be. I guess it would look like a fad or a "red herring" to an outside observer. I don't think the "casual" GF "dieter" will last long. This lifestyle is inconvenient as hell. I wouldn't do it if I didn't have to.

I don't think most people go GF to lose weight. If they are, then they probably need to reevaluate their strategy. GF would work, but only if you're monitoring your calories, just like any other diet.

For me, I was already at my goal weight. I used MFP to maintain (when I was sick, sometimes it was hard to keep my weight up.) I went GF to stop a decades-long debilitating, chronic illness from destroying my life. If you haven't been there, or lived with someone who has gone through it, then you probably wouldn't understand.

Corn tortillas and brown rice pasta may be your new best friends. Also, tamari instead of soy sauce. Those three items will make it much easier to convert your old favorite recipes to gluten-free versions.

there are some great stories on here. and I BELIEVE every single one of them. I do not have Celiac D. I have diabetes. I have hypothroidism. I have high blood pressure. I have lots of seasonal allergies and dust/mold are rough for me. I went gluten free because I decided I am not a cow and don't need to eat grass. I went grain free for the same reason. Call that silly if you please.

But the results I have gotten from eating this way have more than imaginable given me tangilble results---like I said, NO MORE DAILY CLARITIN. That saves money and saves me from another stinking drug. I have lost weight, which may save my eyes, my legs, my LIFE. I am still diabetic but my sugars are awesome. Someday soon I do hope to be off of or lessen my medications, which will save $$. .

I will stay grain-free because mainly I FEEL TERRIFIC. I have way more energy, less arthritis pain, less melancholy attitude, NO DANDRUFF, and no more Gassy Tummy.

To each his own. If you are happy and healthy eating wheat, then go right on. However, don't make fun of those who feel different about it. We have real reasons for our choices. If I didn't feel different not eating gluten, then I would dang sure eat it since it easier to buy bread than to MAKE bread. This is not a FAD to any of the serious folks that responded. I cannot understand why someone wants to blast us for our choices. I don't care if you eat dog meat. If it makes you happy....then be happy! If it makes you feel healthier for whatever reason, then go for it! I won't dismiss your choices.

I don't have celiac but I was just diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroid Disease. It is suggested I go gluten-free and if it keeps me off meds forever, I'll do it. Haven't been trying for long but it's harder than thought. I found that eating no processed foods is much safer, but I like corn tortillas for the occasional "bread" treat. Gluten is literally in EVERYTHING. I try and stay away from gluten free foods (like bread and pasta), but I have found that the Brown Rice Pasta at Trader Joes is excellent. I cook for my BF and I nightly and it's hard to make him eat exactly the way I eat. This way I can have pasta with him!

Good luck! I'm always looking for new gluten-free friends!

Prior to my upper endoscopy my Gastroenterologist said if someone really has Celiac and has been eating gluten for years it would take MONTHS to YEARS to remove all signs of Celiac in your body so you should be ok going GF for a week prior. I didn't get diagnosed with Celiac, but rather "Gluten Sensitivity." Maybe I'm a dummy but I would rather take the diarrhea and nausea and get to eat my yummy gluten then give it up and have no symptoms.

... I would rather take the diarrhea and nausea and get to eat my yummy gluten then give it up and have no symptoms.

:noway: Does not compute!

Maybe my nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, anxiety and pain were more severe than yours. My mental health was in serious decline due to my constant, chronic symptoms. I had lost all hope of ever being normal. I am just so grateful after all these years to have found a solution (GF). I can't imagine being so addicted to a food that I'd rather live in abject misery than be without it.

Glad your gluten sensitivity is at a tolerable level, though! :flowerforyou: