Hey DU, anyone here on a gluten-free diet?

I inquire because I was just reading a story about tennis player Novak Djokovic, who says his gluten-free diet is a big part of his success this year (he has yet to lose a match) and that he feels so much better physically.
I was wondering if anyone else has noticed a dramatic difference after dropping gluten?

Started seriously last October and I've never felt better. Stronger, mentally quicker, fewer aches and pains...on and on.

nt

I was very ill so my diet consisted of chicken broth with carrots for several weeks...I kept wondering what I'd eat now that I knew I had to go gluten and casein free. I lost a good bit of weight. However, I've found several non gluten things that are so satisfying. I eat Italian ice rather than ice cream, I buy nuts and gluten free mixes from nutsonline...their brownies and pancake mix are wonderful. I have learned how to change things...instead of a wrap with flour I wrap in a crispy Romaine lettuce leaf..I make delish drinks using soft tofu and coconut milk instead of yogurt..etc. You learn in time.

I gained back all the weight...oh well, I'm healthy and that's what's important.

No joint pain at all, no respiratory issues, no cravings for carbs.

:)

interested how I could get them free. Thanks.

And why are they bad for you?

and you can see it's effects when you bake... that stretchiness in the dough, that's gluten.

It can irritate the digestive tract and lead to mal absorption if you are allergic, aka Celiacs. Otherwise... no, not really.

Hubby is not allergic, I still bake him bread, almost every day. Me... maize, corn, rice... what have you...

He always had the game, but he was never focused...now he is.

No asthma, no getting tired, no breathing problems in hot conditions.... The absence of the physical problems is enabling him to concentrate better, imo. In addition he lost weight from an already slender body. Weight loss and less physical problems are consistent with my own experiences being gluten free.

We're gluten-free-ish at our house (she's completely gluten free, the rest of aren't).

Food labeling has improved significantly over the last few years, making it much easier to follow a gluten-free diet.

One suggestion tho. If you're going to try going gluten free, you're better off with foods that just happen to be gluten-free, than foods that are specifically made to be gluten-free. GF cake mixes and brownie mixes are available that are indistinguishable from non GF ones. GF bread, on the other hand, is awful. GF pasta is hit or miss - we end up using Thai rice noodles instead of specific GF corn pasta most of the time. Real corn tortillas are GF, as are the crunchy taco shells, so tacos are a regular meal for us.

We eat a lot of rice, and usually add something to it (GF chicken stock or salsa) to give it some flavour. GF bread crumbs are available for making breaded foods (chicken parmigiana is one of my daughter's faves).

The biggest challenges are dining out and pre-made quick foods. Again, tho, there's been great improvement in the last few years with allergy awareness at restaurants, and most chain-type restaurants have food ingredient books now to help with selections. GF frozen dinners are available that aren't bad, stuffed cannelloni and things like that, which are necessary in today's busy family environments.

There are a few others that eat GF who post at DU. I'm sure they'll be as willing as I am to answer questions.

Cheers.

Sid

nt

If you can find Udi's GF bread, it's fantastic. Just recently came out, and it's as close to real bread as you're going to get. I made a sandwich with it, NO heating/toasting. The bagels are good, too. I've been looking while in Toronto, but I can't find them so far. If I do, I'll let you know. (in Alberta I get it at save on foods) http://udisglutenfree.com/

Also La Tortilla Factory has a great wrap made of teff; they are, by far, my favourite. They're also much more pliable than the rice ones. http://www.latortillafactory.com/products-6.aspx

not sure we can get it here, tho. We're fortunate to have a GF bakery (http://www.voilaglutenfreebakeree.com/) in town, that makes bread for my daughter, and she seems to like it. I still think it tastes like cardboard :)

Cheers.

Sid

Those who voluntarily go on it and claim some kind of benefit....it's usually all in their head.

The food does not taste that great.

Just because celiacs exist, they try to sell you diets saying you also have to remove gluten from your diet...

Any collatoral benefits probably come from a reduction of junk food, any kind of dietary restriction will make you more careful about what you eat, which can have its own benefits.

But even so, I assure you that you can still be unhealthy no matter what single, specific dietary restriction you put on yourself. I'm a fat vegetarian. ;)

tortillas are divine, rice can be done in so many ways....

Really.

I am lucky I guess. I grew up eating plenty of GF items that are naturally GF... we love some Thai as well.

And my hubby gets fresh baked bread. We even found GF pasta that is made from Quinoa that is really tasty.

Now pizza... lets just put it this way... we and the conures were spitting it out... so that has proven a little more tricky to get right. It means a LOT of experimentation in the kitchen.

bread though....

Rudi's is not bad... not great, but of all the commercial ones, not bad... just make sure to toast well.

And the other day when I managed to get a tummy issue I actually had toast and jelly. It lives in my freezer... and goes straight to the toaster oven.

But as I said, we really don't miss it that much. Partly I grew up in a country where you could do GF diet pretty much... with no issues and a lot of food variety.

So I do quite a bit of Mexican cooking. Now Eastern European Jewish cooking... no... I am not the one to take that tradition forwards... and if we decide to do Latkesfor Hanukah... well it will have to be my own doing and not any pre made mix.

It's better anyway.

either Udi's frozen crust or
make it fresh using Bob's Red Mill mix-
Sometimes I make mini pizza's with kinnikinnik english muffins.

... otherwise you could just go on a low-carb diet.

makes a huge difference if you have any of a number of types of colitis. I feel much, much better gluten and casein free...it didn't happen over night but some effects are noticed immediately.

I did gain a little weight back though, since I am absorbing that food that much better. I'll take the five pounds over the can though.

I know shitty.

if your interested...pm me. They have helped me a lot and I learn from other peoples experiences...folks from all over the world.

Turns out I have a different CD - Crohn's, not Celiac.

They even use it for wall paper paste. Every time they introduce the western wheat based diet to natives their teeth start falling out.

then it can get tricky.

READ labels, religiously, If it says STARCH anywhere on it, but does not add the words POTATO or CORN... assume it is wheat and walk away. (That goes for meds too by the way, so make sure to talk to pharmacist and read labels. Last time I needed tylenol, the store brand was not for me, I ended up getting the actual brand name. Target IIRC generic is corn starch)

Mostly thai noodles are rice noodles, so they are safe.

Quinoa ancient harvest is divine if you want pasta. goes without saying Alfredo is out... so tomato works.

Glutino GF breading is great for breading things... or just plain out corn flakes, I buy the Ralph's brand, believe it or not it is only corn... has less crap than actual Kellogs product.

Tortillas, rice, quinoa, are all GF as well as beans.

And yes, anything that needs a rue... see Alfredo... is out... though you could experiment in the kitchen and make it yourself with rice or GF AP flower.

OATS... yes you can have them... but ONLY if they are processed in a full GF facility. You can find them Arrow Mills sells them.

I can't stress enough about meds... CENTRUM, has starch... so yes... it made me sick....

Get yourself a nice Mexican Cook Book, a nice Thai Cookbook, and even some Japanese \ Chinese... and experiment. The traditional (whatever that is) American diet... difficult at best, unless you like a LOT of potatoes.

You should be sure of your facts before dispensing advice.

Sid

About the same amount that Djokovic dropped. Djokivic, incidentally, has not lost a match since November of last year and has beaten Nadal four times in a row and Federer three times in a row.

My own game has improved and my concentration is better. In addition I quit smoking since going gluten free.

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I had constant canker sores in my mouth (and I do mean constant), especially on my tongue, for a year. After I ate, I felt like food was never leaving my stomach. I felt super full but hungry. My stomach would ache. I also had pulsatile tinnitus (a whoosh in my ear). Doctors just shrugged. First, I tried following a very healthy diet with lots of whole grains. That was terrible. Next, I went on an elimination diet and after getting rid of gluten, the canker sores went away, the full feeling was gone, and I could concentrate better. The pulsatile tinnitus got better but it's still there if I am around pollution (which in the city I live in is terrible).

I actually prefer gluten-free pasta. Maybe because it doesn't make my stomach hurt? I don't know. Depends on the brand though. I found some nice ones in Italy. Gluten-free bread is often terrible, but tastes better toasted. We make our own. Again, I found some pretty good ones in Italy. I've found some brands of things that are great: Glutino pretzels and "oreos," Dr. Schar's pasta is pretty good, and a bunch of food we found in Europe.

At first it was hard being on this diet, now it is a breeze. The only thing I miss is decent bread and beer. "Gluten-free" beer isn't gluten-free enough for me.

I just wanted to add: I haven't changed what (as in recipes) I eat at all. I just substitute gluten-free flour and or whatever product that is gluten-free. I never did bake much but brownies are good with g-free flour, sugar cookies are good but fall apart.

I keep telling my wife we should go back sometime but she thinks it would be miserable now that she's on a gluten free diet. I think it would be ok if we made our own food but still we would have to find GF pasta and bread over there some where...and it's hard enough for us to find just about anything in Italy anyways.

This is one thing I love about DU. It's a great place to hear about alternatives. :grouphug:

Remember what I wrote about readying labels?

Did not, with the soy sauce. I had some both for lunch (out of my fridge) and at the sushi place...

Guess what the second ingredient is? WHEAT.

Yep. I'm in pain and feel oh so stoopid

like your wife... I feel sorry for hubby...

By San'J (organic of course)

She actually has the allergy so if she eats just a tiny bit of gluten in something she'll have bad stomach pains and bad gas the whole rest of the day.

I am gluten free most of the time and the only difference I notice when I eat gluten if she's not around, is that the gluten items seem to make me a lot more tired. On days where I don't eat gluten I feel like I just woke up all day - tons of energy. On the days when I have a sandwich with regular bread, I get that normal sluggish feeling that most people get for the next few hours afterward.

If you are not allergic, rather than dropping gluten altogether, you might just try staying away from the enriched white flour in stuff and using 100% whole wheat and see if that makes you feel any different. Or go ahead and go off the gluten altogether, it really isn't that bad if you are cooking at home and if your grocery store has a good selection of GF items...but it DOES make eating out somewhat difficult. Even when they swear something is gluten free, my wife knows very quickly when they're wrong. One of those things is cooked veggies, because many restaurants think their regular cooked veggies are gluten free, but they cook them in chicken broth that has gluten in it, so wife can usually tell when this happens.

good luck to you!

They have so much stuff that it is intimidating at first.

just the latest. Next it will be an assault on the sweet potato.

<---------- JESUS there are days.

what day is this? An ex girlfriend of mine had a problem with gluten and I understood. Then she began preaching it and others saw it as the new diet du jour.

but I will not make fun of people asking.

By the way, one of the theories at the DRAMATIC increase in Celiacs is actually what we have done to wheat over the last sixty years...

But I am sure you knew that. It is not a fad diet... but it might be MEDICALLY necessary for some in the population... JESUS... as in it MIGHT SAVE THEIR FUCKING LIFE OR EXTEND THEIR FUCKING LIFE WIHT BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. DO you understand what that means?

Read the stats at the bottom

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704893604576200393522456636.html

And if people ask questions some of us will ANSWER without the FAD DIET commentary... Some people MIGHT be having issues with sensitivity to the protein and you know what it just might NOT be in their head!

Again, JESUS there are days!

If you have a problem with diet threads, and you seem to do... STAY OUT OF THEM!

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I mean when I drink beer.

:toast:

is pointless. The latest marketing woo from Madison Ave.

after that... yep, pretty much correct...

Between both groups, we are talking of one in ten americans... oy... small number indeed. It sucks if you have it, but that's another story.

Whenever this sort of marketing gets involved, it opens up the door for the food industry charging a premium for goods of dubious extra benefit to those who don't have the problem it's supposed to be assisting with. I am just making the point that "gluten-free" does not equal "healthier than normal wheat products" in people without issues with gluten.

I do not know if I can agree with that. I went gluten free for around six months thinking I had gluten intolerance due to a crusty gross rash that totally encompassed both my hands. As things progressed I learned my problem wasn't gluten --- but the experience of eating that way made me feel great. I was forced to look at labels in the grocery store (which I usually do anyway) but EVERYTHING that had a label on it had to be read, and going 100% gluten-free is very tedious. Most soy-sauces aren't gluten-free, which is one of my favorite condiments, even salad dressings (!) ... so while I was eating this way, I was eating only things that were healthy for me, I was eating more raw vegetables and unpackaged / labeled stuff, I was actually spending less money, not more money on food by eating this way (I have always loved beans and rice anyway), had a little fun with corn pasta spaghetti, and I believe it also helped my sinus stuff that happens in the morning (which comes and goes and I believe it is partly diet-related too.)

So, no, it isn't POINTLESS. People can benefit from trying it and I believe to this day that severely limiting your gluten intake is healthy for everybody after what I went through.

Although I admit lately I have not been making a point of it.

"woo" is a word used a lot here by people who have not tried what they are calling "woo." Sometimes it is, sometimes it AINT.

: P

You admit that your rash had nothing to do with gluten, then you go on to say that eating healthier in general (looking at labels, etc.) assisted how you felt. Well, yes of course it would. The implied conjecture here, and elsewhere in this thread, is that gluten-free foods had something to do with it. This is patently false. It's like drinking lactose-free milk when you aren't lactose intolerant and claiming some additional health benefit from it. Again, patently false.

So yes it IS pointless. You can believe what you want but what you suggest, that limiting gluten intake is healthy for everybody, is interesting but lacks a solid basis in any medical or scientific fact of which I am aware.

You might also want to look into Anti-Inflammatory foods in general. I have ankylosing spondylitis and complete total starch elimination has helped me tremendously.

This is not to say, of course, that everyone who is avoiding gluten is a hypochondriac. Gluten sensitivity is real, and can range from the mild to the life-threatening.

Still, my friends and acquaintances who get every illness they hear about on tv, who in the past obsessed first over their chronic fatigue syndrome and then their fibromyalgia (also genuine conditions) have now taken to fretting over gluten. Lucky for them the supermarkets are suddenly full of expensive gluten-free products!

Sounds gross!, Whenever he ate something w/ wheat and gluten he would break out in a rash that
looked like a combo of psorias and poison ivy. Looked gross. So I started researching/ and cooking for him
gluten free. I'd go a week or two GF then we'd go out for dinner and I couldn't resist the bread and
would have a beer. His skin is totally clear.

The next morning I'd start holding my stomach would get bloated, had horrible left quadrant pain.
It took me about 6 months of this routine before a light went on! For a few years I'd "cheat"
around holidays, special occassions and man would I pay. Strictly GF/Wheat free now.
I do miss beer, and after a hard road ride/ mountain bike ride, I'd love to pop a Heine-
It's just not worth it.
Cindy Sheehan turned me on to New Grist. It's the best GF by far thats out there.

Love the Bob's Red Mill GF line.
Pancakes, Cornbread, Cakes. (Betty Crocker has a truly yummy GF cake mix)
Udi's- just came out with a hamburger bun and I can't wait to taste it cuz their bread is awesome!
Tinkyada pasta rocks, Quinoa noodles resist turning to mush- hold up nice in mac & cheese.