Gluten-free and cranky!

[MightyMouse]

Gena is correct, vinegar is safe unless it's malt vinegar--malt is typically from barley and is definitely off limits. So is beer for the same reason.

Nina

[Guest tearose]

Amy, good luck with this plan! It seems like you are succeeding now a few more days into it! I haven't done this for myself but had to learn what my son was reacting to. It turned out to be wheat and corn allergy! As you now see, it is an adventure in label reading and finding the answers to what the label does not say!

In case you hit a rough spot like I did with my son, and you can't tell what may be triggering you...go off all "alternate" grains and just stick to a rice diet until everything calms down. He needed six weeks of only rice and then we began to re introduce alternate grains one at a time and three to four days apart.

Keep up the good work. I sure hope this helps you feel better!

tearose

[MightyMouse]

I had to get off everything initially except for rice based items. Also, other things that never bothered me before became problems--mostly the high carb items, like corn and potatoes. I was able to introduce quinoa pretty soon, which was tasty with some butter and fresh herbs. I was never able to aquire a taste for buckwheat, but it didn't bother my belly. I like to fry up polenta until it's crispy on the outside and soft in the center. Makes me not miss my fries quite so much.

Some thing you should try to do is look for some ethnic grocers nearby. Aisan, Indian, Pakistani, Philipino, etc.

I still like to eat papadams-- lentil wafers you can get at any Indo-Pak grocery. The low fat way to prepare them is to toss one in the microwave for about a minute, watching for it to bubble up/crisp--but stop before any burning or smoking. For higher calorie content version, you can fry them up in oil, or rub down with oil and do in the microwave. Also, they have great rice options in HUGE bags for only a little money. It's where we get our chunteys and sauces so we don't get bored.

We use rice based noodles as a side dish quite often. If you have an aisan grocery you wont spend a fortune on this stuff. And HUGE bags of rice. And coconut milk--and fresh herbs that would cost me an arm and a leg at the local "shee shee grocery". Lemon grass, cilantro, fresh ginger, pickled items, hard to find spices.

Deserts: again, the aisan grocery had tons stuff I could eat. One was a sesame and honey conconction that is shaped like small cookie bars--crunchy, sweet, yummy. I get my candied dried ginger there too.

Nina

[calypso]

OK, another report from the GF front:

Now I am constipated. Ay yay yay. What in the heck? I am still eating tons of fiber because I am now eating twice the number of veggies and fruits, plenty of oats, etc. The gas is still horrible, no different. I still am going to stick with it in hopes that it all gets better soon. Maybe I do need to go off all the carbs except rice. I will surely be a crank again, but at least I won't stink

Last night we went to an Italian place for a group dinner. I happily had eggplant parmigiana. But the bread was looking at me, I swear. Then, later in the evening, I had to excuse myself several times due to the gas. Unfortunely I didn't make it away fast enough one time, during the Oscars, and my husband (being the sweet guy he is) told everyone our daughter had a dirty diaper. I was so, so embarrassed in front of him. I can't even explain how gross I feel.

Well, carbless I must go, I guess. Thanks for all the tips on Asian grocery, Nina. I just need to learn how to cook Asian now. The only thing I usually make is a basic tofu stir-fry.

Amy

[MightyMouse]

Amy, just an FYI, unless you were at a gluten free restaurant, egglplant parm typically has wheat flour in it--the eggplant is breaded or floured before frying May explain that gas. Oh, do I understand the bread calling you... I gave in BIG TIME on Friday night and ate some...and compouned it with pizza!!! I was in GI distress until last night (Sunday).

Safe foods at an Italian restaurant: most broiled or sauteed items (our local place has simmered calamari in a red sauce that's yummy), mozzarella and tomato salad, most other salads as long as no croutons, some soups--but be careful with that, some have flour or roux (butter/flour mixture) as a thickener. My local place knows me now and doesn't look at me funny when I order the seafood fra diavlo (spicy seafood medly over pasta) WITHOUT the pasta. Some of the waiters know not to bring me bread, hence avoiding the tempting treat. For dessert, I usually have a canoli, no pastry, just filling and some whipped cream/chocolate sauce, or sorbet, or ice cream.

You absolutely must drink lots of fluids at this point. Also, as your GI system starts to adjust to your new diet, you're going to have times like this. Some things that are cheap and over the counter: stool softeners and benefiber, which you can stir into juice without tasting it. There are a number of low sugar juices out at my regular grocer now, so I can still watch the carbs and drink something sweet, like cranberry juice.

When I'm backed up, coffee and tea, both stimulants, can help get things started--but it still may help to have the softener and fiber, above, because your fiber intake right now is probably minimal given the reduction in grains. And, of course, exercise can also help to get things "moving" literally and figuratively. Even if it's just a short walk that you can manage, if you do that a few times, it can assist your GI muscles with their job.

Also, be careful with the vegetables and protein sources that can make you gassy, like beans, cabbage, broccoli, peppers, onions, cauliflower, etc. Until your system adjusts, those may make matters worse. Instead you might go for things that are easier to digest, like squash, turnips (love them mashed!!!), carrots, celery, tomato, etc. Fruits may help add some fiber too and be a bit easier on the tummy than some of the above veggies.

Okay, I'm really on a ramble tonight. I'll shut up now. Zipping it, Nina

[calypso]

Oh, the flour ... rats. I completely forgot since I usually make eggplant without it -- I usually just grill it and serve it with sauce & cheese on top. Well, I figured I would make mistakes.

Cutting back on all the gassy foods is probably a good idea too. I think I'll just cut out everything except rice, bananas, spinach, chicken and applesauce. And add a new food every day. Squash too.

Amy

[geneva]

Amy, before I went gluten free I couldn't figure out why I would get sick every time we ate out at Italian restaurants. Eggplant parmesan was my favorite too!

Now, I usually just eat pasta at home using the Tinkyada brown rice pasta which I enjoy although a Greek restaurant nearby has grilled eggplant and will substitue rice for the pasta if I ask.

I think you are smart to start with just a few menu items until your body settles in to the new diet and then you will learn what you can and cannot eat without the high gas response. I still find that when I am in GI flare that I have to go back to an extremely limited diet.

You can do this! Hang in there.

[pamyla]

Hi all, I am bringing this post back cause I recently found out I need to start a gluten free diet. Thanks for all the good information

I must admit I'm still feeling a little overwhelmed with what I can and can't eat ... Since I'm taking antibiotics for lyme I've been trying to hold to the anti-candida diet already - although I keep cheating with the bread (guess that really needs to stop) Additionally, I am also allergic to eggs and soy and need to cut those out as well. I was going through my food yesterday and almost everything I have in the cabinet has either gluten, soy or egg products in it -

So, my questions -

What do you eat for snacks? How about for breakfast? How do you manage going out to eat? And where do you shop for food? Can you still get most things from the regular grocery store, or do you go to a specialty store?

I'd appreciate any easy recipes you can recommend to me as well. I'm not much of a cook, but I'm willing to try

Thanks,

Pam

[desiree942]

The gluten free thing does get better/easier! After 2.5 years I no longer feel deprived. I got in a routine and it becme a matter of knowing to buy brand x rather than brand y.

I'll admitt I do miss the ease of eating out, or ordering a pizza. Now I deal by making new things and looking for mainstream recipes that are GF, or where I can use a brand I know is GF rather than trying to recreate old dishes using GF flours, etc.. I am much happier. I found a GREAT flourless peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe...my office loved them, I loved them, feels more normal for me.

Now I don't crave wheat flour.

p.s. Dr. grubb thinks that my gluten reaction was a trigger for me getting POTS, though the GF diet did not help my POTS symptoms only the GI stuff.

[Lukkychrm42]

Hi,

I was just wondering if you actually know that you are sensitive to gluten, or if you're just eliminating it to see if it helps? Just curious. I tried cutting it out a long time ago, and unfortunately I didn't notice any difference... just the darn autonomic neuropathy causing my bowel problems. Grr. (According to my Gi doc.)

So yeah, Whole Foods will definitely have lots of goodies for you. There are a whole lot of grains out there that you might not have heard of, but are delicious and very nutritious, too. I love quinoa, and it's packed with protein. Unfortunately, it might be the additives in prepared foods that are more difficult to spot: things like hydrolized wheat, starch, or vegetable proteins, anything malt like Nina mentioned, soy sauce or tamari (check out wheat-free versions or Braggs amino acids.) It can be difficult to master the art of baking with rice flour, but after some tries, you will learn there is plenty of good food in the gluten-free world!

Just to note- EnviroKidz makes a gluten-free vanilla animal cracker-type of cookie, that's square shaped. It's sold alongside its chocolate companion, but the vanilla one is the gluten-free one. (And addictive and better than the chocolate!)

And check out other local health food stores or cafes, as they might have a wider variety of GF products and even menu items. (the co-op in which I work serves regular GF cakes as well as veggie and vegan lasagna, soups, and other main dish items.)

I suspect that the irritability was mainly either from a sense of deprivation or your body detoxing. Hopefully you're doing better now.

[pamyla]

Thanks guys! Hopefully once I get in the routine it won't be as bad as I'm thinking now Hard to think about dieting when it's so close to the holidays! I'll start shopping for this diet after Xmas I think

I recently did some testing for parasites, which also looked at a couple of the big food allergies. So I came back allergic to egg, soy and gluten, and my doctor has instructed me to cut them out. I did the testing because my lyme treatment has plateaued in the last few months and my doctor things something else is going on - which needs to be taken care of before my body is able to successfully fight the lyme. At the moment we're not sure what the issue is, and until we figure it out I'm not making much progress unfortunately. It's frustrating....

Back to food - those peanut butter chocolate chip cookies sound good And I'll have to look into that gluten free soy sauce. I am a sushi addict and would hate to give it up!

Thanks again!

Pam

[ArtC]

Hi,

I have been gluten free for 4 years and at first it made quite a difference on my health. I still found that something still wasn't right with my diet. Just recently I found out that I also have fructose malapsorption as well. (no fruits, many veggies, honey, sugar, corn syrup, etc. ). A good link is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructose_malabsorption The symptoms are very similar to Celiac disease plus cause a lot of gas, bloating, diarrhea, etc. It has been a challenge finding food to eat, but I feel so much better! It will be hard watching people eat all the good food and treats over the holidays. It is tested through a hydrogen breath test.

My doctor said that 10% of Celiacs won't be-able to digest Oats at all. In general, he is very afraid of cross contamination and to proceed very cautiously. I am unable to do oats and am unsure if it is from the Celiac or fructose (there is a lot of fructose in whole grains & fiber).

What is interesting is that my doctor sees a lot of POTS patients with these problems. I also have some motility issues that aren't helping the digestion process of digestion and absorption.

For snacks I tend to eat EnerG Wylde pretzels, Glutino sesame bread sticks, some almonds, and Cheechah snacks.

[pamyla]

Hi ArtC, Thanks for the good snack ideas Do you get those at a special store? I'm glad to hear you're feeling better. I'll be in the same boat as you with not eating fruits and sugars - gotta make sure I keep the yeast problems in check.

It is interesting that so many with POTS also have the gluten intolerance. Makes me wonder which one came first

Thanks again for all the advice!

Pam

[Sunfish]

just wanted to add that i know there are at least several other posts with a number of good food suggestions, so for those that are curious a search may be worth the time/effort.

melissa

[ArtC]

Hi Pamyla,

I live in Minnesota where there are several good stores that carry Gluten free food. The place where I buy the most is The Gluten Free Cupboard, there website is: http://www.glutenfreecupboard.com/index.html and they ship all over the United States. There store is dedicated to Gluten free and many other food restrictions. They have hundreds & hundreds of products available. I also find things at Fresh & Natural Foods, Whole Foods, & Wild Oats. If you were to contact Mike or Jane Mueller at the Gluten Free Cupboard, they are very helpful and knowledgeable about their foods. Another product that is Gluten free, lactose free and fructose free is the Kinnikinnick Pizza Crust Mix. I make little tarts, pizza crust, great tortilla shells, crackers, etc. out of it. I love the mix, and it has flavor.

Happy Holidays