I've been GF for about 2 years now at the urging of my doctor. It was like giving up any addicting food/beverage at first, it sucked. Before I cut out gluten I'd have a bagel for breakfast, a sandwich at lunch, and bread with dinner. 2 years later it's not hard at all. There are so many other options out there that I barely miss bread. I don't buy a lot of GF substitutes, they're expensive, so I mostly stick with meats, veggies, and fruits. We do have some amazing GF bakeries around here so instill get to indulge in cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, and dinner rolls every once in a while.
It's amazing looking back at old photos vs current photos, I was definitely bloated. My face used to be so round, and my stomach was often bloated. Like I said, it's hard at first, but it gets easier over time.
I eat gluten free. I am allergic to wheat. I don't do many GF "products" except for treats occasionally. I stick to meat, vegetables, fruits, and nuts.
I have Crohn's disease and have been GF for four months now.
80% of people gain weight when they go on a GF diet, so I avoid the super processed replacement products.
When I get a craving for carbs, I roast some potatoes or make rice. Most of the time I just eat eggs, meat, greek yogurt, cheese, peanut butter and melon. I cannot eat green veggies, nuts, or corn (low fiber/residue diet per doctor's orders) - if I could things would be even easier.
I have a lot more energy and feel stronger. I was 140 lbs when I started in March and I am now 133.5.
PS: potato chips and some french fries are still GF. PPS: Pizano's restaurant in Chicago makes a pizza that uses sausage as crust.
Post by jennysmitten on Jul 17, 2013 9:54:34 GMT -5
I am allergic to wheat and avoid it.Read labels, SO important. Also, if I suspect/know I have ingested wheat I take the supplement L Glutamine and it kills the bloating and the pain within 24 hrs. I stumbled upon that while on vacation after I had been glutened.
Wow. Star thanks! If you have any awesome recipes you'd be willing to share I'd appriciate it.
What about lunches? I am also trying to stay away from the gluten free stuff. I don't know what they do to it to make it gluten free
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Lunch ideas:
green salad w/ chicken or turkey, extra veggies, GF dressing
I always order sandwiches w/o the bun. Usually they'll serve it on a bed of lettuce. Just make sure the meat isn't breaded. This opens up options for basically any restaurant (unless you need your food cooked on a separate grill - I do not).
Some combo of "snacky" foods: hard boiled egg, peanut butter with apple slices, carrots and hummus, cheese cubes, yogurt, etc.
dinner leftovers: grilled chicken/pork chops/bunless burgers served w/ roasted potatoes, herb rice, or some veggie.
I am allergic to wheat and avoid it.Read labels, SO important. Also, if I suspect/know I have ingested wheat I take the supplement L Glutamine and it kills the bloating and the pain within 24 hrs. I stumbled upon that while on vacation after I had been glutened.
This is a nice tip!
I got sick off some fried food while visiting family last weekend. I thought my mom said it was just a parm crust. Nope.
And also, please get on this immediately. If you continue to eat gluten, you may irreparably damage your gut. About 80% of your immune system is located IN your gut, so you can see why damaging it is a huge problem.
Anyone done this? I think I gonna start. I have celiac disease and need to get it under control. Any advice? Sent from my SPH-L710 using proboards
I'm a little alarmed that you have been diagnosed celiac and haven't switched to being gluten free.
That said, good on you for doing it now. It will get easier and you'll realize that there's a good gf substitute for any foods you might miss.
Also, please please please resist the urge to cheat. Each time you're exposed, it can take your body up to 6 months to repair itself back to "normal" to where you're absorbing nutrients properly. Don't put your health at risk in this manner, there's no food out there on earth worth it.
Wow. Star thanks! If you have any awesome recipes you'd be willing to share I'd appriciate it.
What about lunches? I am also trying to stay away from the gluten free stuff. I don't know what they do to it to make it gluten free
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They use alternative flours - ones with no gluten in it (eg rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, almond flour etc). It's not some crazy science experiment food or anything, no need to avoid it for that reason. As others have said, gf items are often more expensive so you may want to have them sparingly to save your wallet.
I am a super sensitive celiac and have been living GF for almost 3 years. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE stop damaging your gut by eating gluten filled products. It's honestly not that hard to make the switch and I do not miss anything from my previous lifestyle. I still enjoy GF pizzas, breads, cookies and that kind of thing from time to time. Make the switch now, your body will thank you for it.
Oh and wheat flour is often added as a thickener to foods, so reading labels is extremely important. As is checking with the kitchen when eating out at a restaurant. Some of the common hidden sources are soups, dressings, sauces, etc. As you get used to reading labels you'll get faster and faster and be able to read them quite quickly. So don't get discouraged when you feel like it takes you forever at first. One common filler to keep an eye out for is modified food starch = wheat flour (not okay). Modified corn starch is okay however.
Oh and wheat flour is often added as a thickener to foods, so reading labels is extremely important. As is checking with the kitchen when eating out at a restaurant. Some of the common hidden sources are soups, dressings, sauces, etc. As you get used to reading labels you'll get faster and faster and be able to read them quite quickly. So don't get discouraged when you feel like it takes you forever at first. One common filler to keep an eye out for is modified food starch = wheat flour (not okay). Modified corn starch is okay however.
The link I shared earlier from balanced bites has a very comprehensive list of wheat "code words" to look for in ingredients lists.
Wow. Star thanks! If you have any awesome recipes you'd be willing to share I'd appriciate it.
What about lunches? I am also trying to stay away from the gluten free stuff. I don't know what they do to it to make it gluten free
Sent from my SPH-L710 using proboards
For lunch he usually takes leftovers from the last nights dinner (boring I know lol). He can't drive all the way home on his lunch break so that's just the easiest thing. But he also sometimes eats Chick fil A, the grilled breast w no bun or grilled strips are gluten free. I believe one of their new salads is gluten free, also. I think its the one w fruit.
I don't know if you have a Moes near you, but they can do gluten free nachos, which he loves. Dominos makes a good gluten free pizza, though they are very clear they can't guarantee no cross contamination in the kitchen. Luckily my H has never had an issue w them. His other fav thing to eat is sushi! Gluten free soy sauce tastes like regular. Just make sure you don't do anything w tempura or the fake crab stick. No eel sauce either.
Gluten free pasta a really good, someone mentioned Tinkyada, that's our fav.
What type of food do you like? Ill mesasage you some recipes!
We like a lot of different foods. Italian is Dh's favorite.
Post by Teachermama on Jul 17, 2013 10:42:56 GMT -5
We want to go wheat and Gluten free. I need to go gluten free and dh wants to go wheat free. He has been reading a book called wheat belly and all the adverse effects that wheat causes.
We want to go wheat and Gluten free. I need to go gluten free and dh wants to go wheat free. He has been reading a book called wheat belly and all the adverse effects that wheat causes.
We want to go wheat and Gluten free. I need to go gluten free and dh wants to go wheat free. He has been reading a book called wheat belly and all the adverse effects that wheat causes.
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How were you diagnosed w Celiac? Did your dr give you any guidance?
I feel bad you seem to just be starting at zero. The book Gluten Free for Dummies was helpful in the early weeks, also!
My doc sucked when I was diagnosed.. I longer have her.
Post by goaskalice on Jul 17, 2013 10:55:09 GMT -5
My absolute favorite bread substitute is Udi's Chia Millet. You can find it in the frozen section of Whole Foods. While you're in transition it's a good way to keep gluten out, but still enjoy sandwiches. I still eat it when I have a pb&j craving
Check out nomnompaleo.com too. I'm not a paleo fanatic, but she has amazing recipes, and it's easy to practice paleo in the beginning because you have very little chance of accidentally eating gluten.
basically "ditto" everyone else. Also, a lot of brands are starting to label if they are gluten free (Ore-Ida, Utz, Wishbone, Heinz - to name a few). Wheat has to be listed as an allergen, which is helpful.
But yes- you're going to have to learn to read labels. I have an iPhone app called "is that gluten free?" and it lists products, ingredients, etc. and whether it's gluten free or not. It's expensive (Like $8), but I've used it a LOT (DS has celiac). Especially when we were knew to this and I was still learning about ingredients. It was a huge resource for me. (Previously, I had printed out pages of stuff of what was o.k. and what wasn't - but I never had that w/ me when I was at the store!).
You can definitely do fine w/o buying GF substitutes, but a few of our favorites:
Ditto Tinkyada. Great pasta and of all the options, I've found it to be the cheapest.
Udi's bread. If it weren't so fricking expensive, DH and I would eat it too!
Bell & Evans chicken tenders/nuggets. Again, DH I would eat these if they weren't so expensive!
I actually prefer all gluten free pretzels over regular. They have a flavor that I like better. We usually buy Glutino brand, though.
I've found that most stores have GF sections now. MOM's, Wegmans, Giant, Safeway.
I actually prefer all gluten free pretzels over regular. They have a flavor that I like better. We usually buy Glutino brand, though.
I went on a huge GF pretzel binge on July 4th. They were fucking DELICIOUS.
Glad to know DH and I aren't the only ones. We like to dip them in cream cheese. I did that one day w/ GF pretzels. Then the next day, I used normal pretzels and I was like "This doesn't taste as good. What's up?". And then I realized the difference. There is a very slight sweetness to the GF pretzels that I like.
I went on a huge GF pretzel binge on July 4th. They were fucking DELICIOUS.
Glad to know DH and I aren't the only ones. We like to dip them in cream cheese. I did that one day w/ GF pretzels. Then the next day, I used normal pretzels and I was like "This doesn't taste as good. What's up?". And then I realized the difference. There is a very slight sweetness to the GF pretzels that I like.
I had never had them until 7/4. Like I said, I almost never buy or consume gluten free products but on a holiday? HEEEEELLLLZZZZ yeah haha
There is a lot of good information here. Today is my one year Celiac anniversary, and I am happy about that. Why? Because a year ago I felt like shit. To make it worse, I didn't realize how bad I really was until I got better. Eating gluten once you know you have Celiac is NOT okay. Ever. End of story. From this point forward you are in charge of your health. You can go gluten free and be healthy, or not and feel like crap day in and day out.
With that being said, it is a major adjustment. I cried one day because I was starving and REALLY wanted some chicken nuggets from McDonald's. I know there are GF ones out there, but I wanted McDonald's. The important part is that I did't give in. There is a great online community among Celiacs and I would encourage you to seek that out.
This book was recommended to me by another Celiac. It is for the newly diagnosed and it helped me a lot during the adjustment period. She also has a blog and cookbooks with recipes. I use her flour mix, but you may find that you like something else better. I also read the Gluten Dude blog too. University of Chicago Celiac Disease Research Center has tons of information of their website as well.
One more thing - when someone in a household has Celiac, it is everyone's problem. I'm sorry, but it is. I am extremely sensitive to cross-contamination and we had to get rid off all the gluten in our house (except for H's beer that is). I'm not saying you have to do that, but Celiac is a family issue. You and your family just need to find what works for you.
There is a lot of information about Celiac out there. The more I read, the less I want to eat gluten.