Gluten free

[Deleted]

Talk to me about being gluten free. I need to cut it for my son, and honestly it is probably best for me as well.

Do family members offer you gluten free options at holiday dinners? Do you buy the gluten free versions of food you like or did you change your diet? How quickly did you notice if you felt better after cutting it?

My H bought me some cookbooks and Udi's gluten free bread (priorities lol) but I don't really know where to start. A huge part of my diet now contains gluten. Are there any good blogs about changing eating habits?

carrotsmakemefat, you're gluten free, right? mp?

[polarbearfans]

It's not as hard as I thought. Still new to the process though. I wish I had the time for fresher less processed meals, but really only have one good meal a day. LOVE UDIS bread! It is the best I've had. The other GF breads have been the consistency of cake. UDIS is also who does Donatos gluten free pizza crust (the take and bakes are the only really gluten free since the others can be cross-contaminated).

Van's makes good crackers to dip in hummus (not all certified!), or just eat. I like the KIND granola. Van's makes good snack products all around Larabars are an acquired taste I have not yet aquired lol

Annie's fruit snacks are all gluten free. Along with bunny grahams. Annie's also makes a pretty good easy mac product (only one type gluten free)

Cinnamon Chex cereal is delicious and satisfies my morning cereal routine.

In my area the Target near one of the better malls has an AMAZING selection of gluten free foods. My main grocery is getting better but doesn't carry UDIs bread so I have to make the drive to Trader Joes (only good product they carry!), but that's near the good Target lol

Eating out is harder. Regular restaurants and fast food included. Most places have a gluten free menu but there is always the risk of cross-contamination. Things that should be gluten free are not due to poor practices (fries done with chicken or gluten items in seasoning or not changing gloves between gluten containing items). I had a bad couple days after caving to my Canes addiction. Got the fingers naked! But they messed up my order and gave me bread. I went back and got fries that had been done up in oil that had seen a million battered chicken (right after rush) and was super sick after.

[Deleted]

carrotsmakemefat

Thanks so much for all the info! YGPM in a min.

They did not test him for celiac, but I have cut caffeine, dairy, leafy greens, legumes and alcohol (mostly...I have two kids under two, sometimes it's required) with no change in his gas reflux. We tried Karo syrup which didn't do much and now the doctor is recommending an ounce of fruit juice, which is hard because Theo doesn't take a bottle. The final intervention before formula is gluten free.

Basically, poor baby is constipated (hasn't pooped on his own in over a month...we have been doing suppositories on doctor's advice). A check by the pedi revealed baby has blockages he's not strong enough to push out yet so the goal is to prevent the backup. I am concerned we are both sensitive to gluten, although I have not been tested either. I do have GI issues so it's possible.

I'm hoping that reducing/eliminating helps my issues and his. I'm worried about weight gain since I still have 25lbs to lose from pregnancies and about finding stuff to eat since gluten seems to be in a lot of my go-to foods. Worth a shot if we will both feel better though!

[Deleted]

Oct 19, 2013 7:54:36 GMT -5 polarbearfans said:

It's not as hard as I thought. Still new to the process though. I wish I had the time for fresher less processed meals, but really only have one good meal a day. LOVE UDIS bread! It is the best I've had. The other GF breads have been the consistency of cake. UDIS is also who does Donatos gluten free pizza crust (the take and bakes are the only really gluten free since the others can be cross-contaminated).

Van's makes good crackers to dip in hummus (not all certified!), or just eat. I like the KIND granola. Van's makes good snack products all around Larabars are an acquired taste I have not yet aquired lol

Annie's fruit snacks are all gluten free. Along with bunny grahams. Annie's also makes a pretty good easy mac product (only one type gluten free)

Cinnamon Chex cereal is delicious and satisfies my morning cereal routine.

In my area the Target near one of the better malls has an AMAZING selection of gluten free foods. My main grocery is getting better but doesn't carry UDIs bread so I have to make the drive to Trader Joes (only good product they carry!), but that's near the good Target lol

Eating out is harder. Regular restaurants and fast food included. Most places have a gluten free menu but there is always the risk of cross-contamination. Things that should be gluten free are not due to poor practices (fries done with chicken or gluten items in seasoning or not changing gloves between gluten containing items). I had a bad couple days after caving to my Canes addiction. Got the fingers naked! But they messed up my order and gave me bread. I went back and got fries that had been done up in oil that had seen a million battered chicken (right after rush) and was super sick after.

Thank you for the recs! I am going to the store tomorrow and will definitely have to check out some of these. I have also tried Lara bars and agree with you lol but the Annie's stuff sounds good.

[tacom]

Oct 19, 2013 19:15:28 GMT -5 @thereigninglorelai said:

carrotsmakemefat

Thanks so much for all the info! YGPM in a min.

They did not test him for celiac, but I have cut caffeine, dairy, leafy greens, legumes and alcohol (mostly...I have two kids under two, sometimes it's required) with no change in his gas reflux. We tried Karo syrup which didn't do much and now the doctor is recommending an ounce of fruit juice, which is hard because Theo doesn't take a bottle. The final intervention before formula is gluten free.

Basically, poor baby is constipated (hasn't pooped on his own in over a month...we have been doing suppositories on doctor's advice). A check by the pedi revealed baby has blockages he's not strong enough to push out yet so the goal is to prevent the backup. I am concerned we are both sensitive to gluten, although I have not been tested either. I do have GI issues so it's possible.

I'm hoping that reducing/eliminating helps my issues and his. I'm worried about weight gain since I still have 25lbs to lose from pregnancies and about finding stuff to eat since gluten seems to be in a lot of my go-to foods. Worth a shot if we will both feel better though!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this.  

I had multiple obstructions and ended up in the hospital for surgery for a perforation of my small intestine. I have been GF for 7 months now (started 3 weeks after surgery) and think that it's really helped my GI system. I can't say for sure though, because I also am doing better without the 1.5 piece of necrotic tissue that once was my functioning jejunum, and I've also started immunosuppressants.

I have lost weight on a GF diet, but I don't really buy GF products (I've maybe bought 7 GF products over 7 months, and most have gotten tossed because I just don't enjoy them). carrots is right though - 80% of people who go GF end up gaining weight, which is typically attributed to consuming high calorie processed foods.

I just mostly enjoy naturally GF foods like carrotsmakemefat mentioned. I've been sick with strep so my diet is all wonky now, but typically I'll do:

Breakfast:
greek yogurt with fruit
eggs and hash browns
veggie and cheese omelett 
TJ's uncured turkey bacon 
rice-based cereal

Lunch/dinner:
GF soups 
rice and bean bake
corn-based anything (although I have to limit corn because I have a hard time digesting it)
chicken/beef/pork and rice with veggies or potatoes
big salad with cheese, veggies, and turkey bacon
eggplant "parm" (fresh cheese, tomato sauce, eggplant)
lemon rice with artichoke hearts/butter/thyme
shish ka bobs
loaded baked potatoes 
grilled steak with avocado and grilled veggies on the side

[tacom]

For snacks (I understand the need to grab something and go), I always keep individual servings of PB in my work bag and I try to bring a fruit with me most days. You can also do nuts and veggies (snap peas, carrots, celery). if you have access to a fridge throughout the day, then there are hard boiled eggs, hummus, greek yogurt, string cheese, smoothies, etc.

[Deleted]

Oct 20, 2013 18:41:12 GMT -5 tacom said:

For snacks (I understand the need to grab something and go), I always keep individual servings of PB in my work bag and I try to bring a fruit with me most days. You can also do nuts and veggies (snap peas, carrots, celery). if you have access to a fridge throughout the day, then there are hard boiled eggs, hummus, greek yogurt, string cheese, smoothies, etc.

I second the peanut butter! I'm working on going gluten free and I've been doing peanut butter and rice chex as my at work snacks. I just dip the rice chex in the peanut butter. It's delicious.

[Deleted]

Thank you all for the suggestions! I'm actually pretty excited to try this and see if I feel better (as well as my son).

A little TMI ahead...

So I'm on the third day gluten free. I'm experiencing something of a system clean out. My major GI issue is normally constipation so this is seriously abnormal. Anyone else experience this?

[Deleted]

Oct 22, 2013 17:18:14 GMT -5 carrotsmakemefat said:

Oct 22, 2013 10:54:36 GMT -5 @thereigninglorelai said:

Thank you all for the suggestions! I'm actually pretty excited to try this and see if I feel better (as well as my son).

A little TMI ahead...

So I'm on the third day gluten free. I'm experiencing something of a system clean out. My major GI issue is normally constipation so this is seriously abnormal. Anyone else experience this?

Mmmmm no. I was hungry all the time. Lol

I'm having that issue as well lol but it's not as unusual for me as the other one