Going wheat and gluten free. Any advice

kountrygrl27
kountrygrl27 Posts: 107 Member
edited November 24 in Food and Nutrition
I'm on my second week of being wheat and gluten free, looking for any info, tips, secrets, things I need to look for? All info welcome.... Thanking you in advance!

Replies

  • summerkissed
    summerkissed Posts: 730 Member
    Wheat and gluten free? If your gluten free then you don't eat wheat products.....or are you just wheat free? Have you been diagnosed with an intolerance or celiac?
  • summerkissed
    summerkissed Posts: 730 Member
    I am wheat free have been for 7 years but I eat oats etc....I have been medically diagnosed by a real doctor with blood tests and 2 exploratory surgeries. I also have a lactose intolerance and for those with celiac or a wheat intolerance they would know that lactose intolerance goes hand in hand.
  • Faithful_Chosen
    Faithful_Chosen Posts: 401 Member
    Uhhhh... Why? The advice actually differs according to the answer. Wheat/gluten are not the enemy. Most people tolerate them just fine. They are being demonized because most yummy things have 'em and these foods are quite calorie dense. Cutting them out (and not replacing the calories with something else) equals weight loss and usually a sense of 'feeling better'. Not too odd considering things off the menu are all fast foods, pretty much. I don't see the use in cutting out wheat/gluten if you are not intolerant to them. Feel free, of course, but it seems far more useful to me to simply learn moderation when it comes to these foods and not limit yourself to a diet that you probably won't make into a life long thing.

    Now, intolerances are an entirely different beast. Then you cut them out pronto! It's an adjustment but it'll feel like second nature soon. There are plently of DIY or store bought alternatives to gluten products so go with those.

    Good luck from a cereal and semi-cereal grain intolerant person.
  • summerkissed
    summerkissed Posts: 730 Member
    Faithful_Chosen wrote: »
    Uhhhh... Why? The advice actually differs according to the answer. Wheat/gluten are not the enemy. Most people tolerate them just fine. They are being demonized because most yummy things have 'em and these foods are quite calorie dense. Cutting them out (and not replacing the calories with something else) equals weight loss and usually a sense of 'feeling better'. Not too odd considering things off the menu are all fast foods, pretty much. I don't see the use in cutting out wheat/gluten if you are not intolerant to them. Feel free, of course, but it seems far more useful to me to simply learn moderation when it comes to these foods and not limit yourself to a diet that you probably won't make into a life long thing.

    Now, intolerances are an entirely different beast. Then you cut them out pronto! It's an adjustment but it'll feel like second nature soon. There are plently of DIY or store bought alternatives to gluten products so go with those.

    Good luck from a cereal and semi-cereal grain intolerant person.

    Amen to that!
  • randomsue
    randomsue Posts: 179 Member
    Wheat free and gluten free goes hand in hand. I have an allergy and it's not fun. What has helped me is to read every label. The more processed the food, the higher the chance hidden wheat and gluten is hidden in there. Sauces, salad dressings, toppings all tend to have wheat in it. Say goodbye to the days of picking up a quick bite. Prepping food ahead of time will save that hassle and aggravation.

    Paleo recipes has saved me from trying to convert a normal recipe into a gluten free version. When I bought myself a good paleo cookbook, that was a great day. That way of eating is already grain free :) This has helped me from ruining and wasting food experimenting with recipes.

    Gluten free bread is expensive and I'm not going to bake. Lol When I buy a loaf, I treat it like liquid gold. If I choose to make a sandwich, it has only 1 slice. Alot of times, I improvise. While my family enjoys bbq sandwiches, I bake sweet potatoes and use the bbq as a topper. Very filling and healthy with a spinach salad on the side. That's just 1 example.

    Getting used to the gluten free lifestyle doesn't have to be expensive as long as you avoid the processed gluten free items as much as possible. Eating cleaner is actually cheaper imo in a gluten free lifestyle.
  • randomsue
    randomsue Posts: 179 Member
    summerkissed wrote: »
    I am wheat free have been for 7 years but I eat oats etc....I have been medically diagnosed by a real doctor with blood tests and 2 exploratory surgeries. I also have a lactose intolerance and for those with celiac or a wheat intolerance they would know that lactose intolerance goes hand in hand.

    You are so right about that!
  • pembr0ke
    pembr0ke Posts: 54 Member
    At work we have a selection of food called Simply Pembroke, which is free from 13 of the 14 most common allergens. What is left is clean, healthy and nutritious food. Our food blog 'Under Pressure at Pembroke' has all our daily menus so you can get some good ideas by viewing a few of the daily posts. I am the catering manager, tasked with feeding 1000 students a day, many of which have allergens. Simply Pembroke was my idea for providing meals suitable for everyone, quicky and without fuss.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    If you suspect celiac disease, it is a good idea to get tested. You need to be eating gluten in the 2-3 months prior to testing so if you choose to test at a later date, you'll have to go back on gluten for a long while and make yourself sick enough to test.

    If you are going GF, I would advise you to avoid GF substitutes like breads and muffins. They tend to have more sugar, fewer vitamins and less fibre than the normal products. Sticking to naturally GF foods like meat, veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds is a healthier option.

    Good luck.
  • kountrygrl27
    kountrygrl27 Posts: 107 Member
    My doctor recommended this for me to help with some health issues... I've been reading the book Wheat Belly and have found it to be very informative. Thanks for this info I can definitely put it to use
  • Azuriaz
    Azuriaz Posts: 785 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    If you suspect celiac disease, it is a good idea to get tested. You need to be eating gluten in the 2-3 months prior to testing so if you choose to test at a later date, you'll have to go back on gluten for a long while and make yourself sick enough to test.

    If you are going GF, I would advise you to avoid GF substitutes like breads and muffins. They tend to have more sugar, fewer vitamins and less fibre than the normal products. Sticking to naturally GF foods like meat, veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds is a healthier option.

    Good luck.

    All of this. That specialty snack aisle is the devil. The tasty, tasty devil.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    kountrygrl27 wrote: »
    My doctor recommended this for me to help with some health issues... I've been reading the book Wheat Belly and have found it to be very informative. Thanks for this info I can definitely put it to use

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/wheat-belly-arguments-are-based-on-shaky-science-critics-say-1.2974214
    Sadly, many of the other sites that would run down the falsehoods in WheatBelly are run by just as wrong vegan for health groups.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    kountrygrl27 wrote: »
    My doctor recommended this for me to help with some health issues... I've been reading the book Wheat Belly and have found it to be very informative. Thanks for this info I can definitely put it to use
    If it is a gluten intolerance, get tested first. Many doctors make the mistake of suggesting a GF diet prior to testing. If you go GF for a month or so and feel better, you'll have to eat gluten (and feel sick) well into the new year. I would resume gluten for a few weeks and then test.

    There are a good 300 symptoms associated with celiac disease. Stomach aches are only one. Anemia is actually the most common. http://www.cureceliacdisease.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/CDCFactSheets10_SymptomList.pdf

    This article discusses testing http://www.worldgastroenterology.org/guidelines/global-guidelines/celiac-disease/celiac-disease-english
  • Somebody_Loved
    Somebody_Loved Posts: 498 Member
    Faithful_Chosen wrote: »
    Uhhhh... Why? The advice actually differs according to the answer. Wheat/gluten are not the enemy. Most people tolerate them just fine. They are being demonized because most yummy things have 'em and these foods are quite calorie dense. Cutting them out (and not replacing the calories with something else) equals weight loss and usually a sense of 'feeling better'. Not too odd considering things off the menu are all fast foods, pretty much. I don't see the use in cutting out wheat/gluten if you are not intolerant to them. Feel free, of course, but it seems far more useful to me to simply learn moderation when it comes to these foods and not limit yourself to a diet that you probably won't make into a life long thing.

    Now, intolerances are an entirely different beast. Then you cut them out pronto! It's an adjustment but it'll feel like second nature soon. There are plently of DIY or store bought alternatives to gluten products so go with those.

    Good luck from a cereal and semi-cereal grain intolerant person.

    I completely agree with this. I cut out gluten and dairy for a little over a year. I did feel better, but mostly because cutting those things out meant I couldn't order many of the calorie-laden foods that had a tendency to make my stomach hurt. I have since added gluten and dairy back into my diet and practice moderation and have found this approach much more enjoyable (and sustainable).

    If you are intolerant, though, this website was incredibly useful to me - tons of gluten free recipes that are delicious. Good luck!

    http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    This site is good for GF info too: http://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/
  • summerkissed
    summerkissed Posts: 730 Member
    My doctor recommended this for me to help with some health issues... I've been reading the book Wheat Belly and have found it to be very informative. Thanks for this info I can definitely put it to use[/quote]

    Has your doctor done or ordered any tests before you cut it out?? You can't be tested for celiac if you aren't eating gluten as it won't show up....take that wheat belly book with a grain of salt that bloke is a total nut case and there are so many things he has in that book that are 1- not scientifically proven 2-completely incorrect!!! If you want to read some great info google the nutrition guru and the chef! A great no bull crap approach to pretty everything to do with nutrition and cooking....but it's all scientifically proven!!!
    http://www.thenutritionguruandthechef.com/
  • sdraper2014
    sdraper2014 Posts: 81 Member
    I wouldn't rely on wheat belly as a credible source of information, watch the CBC video if you can, not sure if you need to be in Canada to view it.
  • tryin2die2self
    tryin2die2self Posts: 207 Member
    Not going to get into the why or why not of cutting out wheat/gluten. This is what I "figured" out when I switched over to the Wild Diet (a paleo off-shoot):

    1. Watch the processed foods. They can hide wheat/gluten in all sort of products. You will need to really start paying attention to labels (as another poster said). This means you need to know what all the pseudonyms are for wheat/gluten. Here is a good place to start, but no means is it definitive...
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/hidden-sources-of-gluten

    2. Unless it says "gluten free" on the label it might not really be gluten free. The song and dance the food companies and the FDA have allows for all sort of loop holes. For instance, a known sweetener advertises it is zero calories. Really it is zero calories because of the serving size. Pound for pound, it only has 40% less calories than sugar. They can do this with gluten too! I recently had a gluten free pizza (which was terrible, like eating a rubber mat) which really was not gluten free. I did some research and it was "effectively" gluten free based on the serving size (one slice=gluten free, two slices=low gluten).

    3. Persistence pays off. If you go out to eat, you will have to ask what is and is not gluten/wheat free. A lot of servers will just blurt out yes or no. Ask for a manager to verify if you have any doubts. This can make you the pain in the butt customer, so be it. You are paying, make sure you are getting what you ask for. I can readily recall my mother being rushed to the hospital because the server said the item was "crab free" when they really meant to say they "thought it was crab free." She sued the restaurant, and won, but it could have easily killed her with her food allergy.

    I wish you all the best in becoming a more informed consumer and I hope you get better!!
  • Kitnthecat
    Kitnthecat Posts: 2,075 Member
    I don't need to be tested for sensitivity to gluten in order to want to avoid it forever. My body reacts with bloating, intestinal discomfort and pain, nausea and diarrhea. My family went gluten free years ago and we have all experienced improved health.

    I would caution against buying commercially produced gluten free products however, since they are expensive, and still can be loaded with undesirable ingredients. I used to make my own gluten free bread and baked items, but we soon realized that we felt better going completely grain free. We do still bake occasionally with almond meal and coconut flour, but even those treats are few, since we just don't need them. Also, my weight loss has sped up dramatically since avoiding these.
  • pembr0ke
    pembr0ke Posts: 54 Member
    pembr0ke wrote: »
    At work we have a selection of food called Simply Pembroke, which is free from 13 of the 14 most common allergens. What is left is clean, healthy and nutritious food. Our food blog 'Under Pressure at Pembroke' has all our daily menus so you can get some good ideas by viewing a few of the daily posts. I am the catering manager, tasked with feeding 1000 students a day, many of which have allergens. Simply Pembroke was my idea for providing meals suitable for everyone, quicky and without fuss.

    Sorry, this was not intended as spam; I work for a charity (University of Cambridge in the UK) where our only customers are our students. I simply wanted to offer our menus as useful/helpful ideas for people cooking gluten free. I did not post a hyperlink and there is no commercial benefit for me or my employer if you look at our menus/food blog (in fact you might find it insightful!) We look after the needs of many students with special diets. My post was well-intended:-)
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