Gluten free help

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carolinedb
carolinedb Posts: 236 Member
In the past few days, I have discovered I have an intolerance to gluten. This is all new to me, so I was hoping to find some other gluten free friends for support! I'm a little nervous, but I'm hoping this will help with a lot of the health issues I have been having. Hope to hear from some of you!

Replies

  • xTattooedDollx
    xTattooedDollx Posts: 426 Member
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    Congratulations! Your life is about to drastically change for the better! First thing you need to do is read read read! Anything and everything! You need to learn the key words for gluten. Gluten is I'm virtually everyhing from obvious things like bread to not so obvious like beef jerky, vitamins, tooth pastes. Thank God their are tons of books and webpages to turn to for help. You'll feel the difference soon! Feel free to add me!.
  • becca_la
    becca_la Posts: 2
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    I'm a gluten free baker. It is very interesting to see how many people out there are actually gluten intolerant. If there is anything you want to know about gluten free baked goods, I'm your girl. It really isn't that hard to make the switch, unless you loooooove bread.
  • amtheriot
    amtheriot Posts: 1 Member
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    Hey there! I have celiacs disease- which is gluten intolerance on a more serious note. Its an auto-immune disease triggered by gluten- so if i eat even the TINIEST of gluten I'm guaranteed to get ill.

    You have start reading labels- everything, even things that don't seem like they would have gluten in them.
    -soups (gluten and wheat flour are used to thicken it)
    -many cereals
    -oatmeal
    -many batters and seasonings
    -milk shakes and ice cream (again used to thicken and give the texture of "cream" to regular milk)

    Anything oat, rye, wheat, or barley is way, WAY off limits.
    Gluten is a plant protein found mainly in these 4 plants.
    Its the by-product/human made ingredients you have to watch out for
    -even though they any of the four may not be listed, they are derived from these plants... and therefore contain gluten

    You CAN NOT cook away gluten- so no brownies, cakes, gumbos, cookies or whatever- unless gluten free
    You can use rice flour as a substitute in many ingredients as well as corn flour.
    cereals made from corn and rice are in the clear- but no granola (oats)
    Many recipes that use pasta can be replaced with brown rice (to give it more texture than white)
    -spagetti sauce w/ rice
    -alfredo sauce w/ rice

    It tastes the exact same just different texture.

    Oh and if you like fried or breaded food- hit up the rice and corn flour
    another thing- you'll probably lose A LOT of wait because this diet eliminates nearly all processed and unhealthy foods
    I was diagnosed at 16 and dropped from a size 10 to a size 3, 145 to 118 lb

    message me for anything else you might need
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    If you have a Whole foods near you they have a whole section of Gluten free products.
    Read the Book The Gluten Connection. It's a real eye opener.
  • theflyingartist
    theflyingartist Posts: 385 Member
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    Welcome to the world of GF!
    There are a lot of things to learn, but a good jumpstart would be this:

    Gluten is highly processed on its own. I'm happy that you are taking the step to avoid it (whether medically or personally). There are a lot of affordable and fantastic GF versions of the foods you eat now, so I won't mention those except to say that one of the best gluten free breads I've had are the ENER-G foods: they make a tapioca bread that's only 80 cals a slice. Toasts (and tastes) great.

    I think with this transition comes a transition in the way you look at food. Why not eat the foods nature is intending you to eat instead of replacing everything with GF mixes?
    Here are the foods you can eat no problem, and are fun to prepare at home:
    Quinoa, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, milk and yogurts, mochi, tofu, some versions of tempeh, and all beans/legumes.

    After I was diagnosed gluten-intolerant, I also took the step to implement an organic diet. It was one of the best decisions I've made (next to going GF). There are plenty of resources out there to help you collaborate with others on recipes, GF-friendly restaurants, and books. I've found that all foods are analyzed by me before consuming. It has made the eating process much more enjoyable for me, because I'm aware of what's going in my body.
    Lastly, I want to encourage you to seek out all GF options. Don't be shy in explaining your condition: some of the worst times I've had as GF were when I would choose a restaurant I couldn't eat at and feel terrible (because everyone wondered why I wasn't eating).
    P.S. Most GF baked goods are lower in calories and more diabetic-friendly, so do a simple Google search for "gluten free bakeries in (your city here)" if you ever need a fix :P
    Good luck! Hope this helps.
  • wileycoyote76
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    I have been gluten free for the last 8 years. The best advice I have for anyone wanting to try the diet would be to absolutely stay away from any processed foods for the first couple of weeks. Make all your own food using fresh ingredients, lots of proteins (meats), fruits and vegetables. Basically stay to the outside of the store, this is not only good for being gluten free but for any diet for that matter.

    Having talked to a lot of people with Celiac (or Coeliac if you are outside of north America) or a gluten intolerance, the biggest mistake people make is to try to replace their favorite foods with a gluten free version. You probably can do that if you want but they will be higher in fat, calories and other things you don't really need. People who do this tend to gain weight when they go gluten free and they get frustrated with their weight pretty easily.

    This is not an easy lifestyle change but it is extremely rewarding once you have figured everything out.

    You may have many people telling you what you can and cannot eat, some may be accurate, some are just plane clueless (excluding those posting here as they are all pretty smart). As other have said, read EVERY label, do a lot of research.

    You are more than welcome to add me as a friend if you have any questions.
  • evenidomhnaill
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    Hi my younger sister has celiacs disease ( found out about 3 years ago) saying she is now only 15 we all read up on what she could and could not eat and i have learned so much.
    There is alot of gluten free products out there but the taste can take time to get used to for example the pasta it tastes different and seams to have alot more starch in the pot when you cook it. If you are out a tip I have found is to check if things are really gluten free for example chips ( or fries) are gluten free but if cooked in the same fat as say chicken nuggets done in batter or bread crumbs they are no longer gluten free and a lot of restaurants don't realize they are tainting the food with gluten.
    Health food stores normally have a good gluten free section and so do big supermarkets and saying you have to change your diet just make sure you are eating the right amounts of everything you need. I also found home made stuff like cakes, bread etc were better than store bought.
    Celiacs find it harder to absorb certain vitamins so best to take a multi vitamin also as a side effect she is now allergic to lactose.
    My sister main diet is fresh fruit and veg, eggs and beans, rice. Hope this helps